


The Arkenstone’s Heart

by ThorinBilbo



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien, female harry potter - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Female Potter is Rose Potter, This is my first work, please give it a chance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-30
Updated: 2018-07-18
Packaged: 2019-04-30 05:01:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 22,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14489364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThorinBilbo/pseuds/ThorinBilbo
Summary: Rose Lily Potter accidentally wanders too far into the cavern where she had narrowly escaped with Dumbledore in search of a Horcrux. Something is drawing her there and she is not sure what. Unfortunately, upon falling into the black water below where the living corpses resided, she finds herself in an entirely new world. This world, which the natives there call Middle-Earth, is full of so many creatures she has in her home, but they are so different. Now she is being roped into a journey in order to find out why and how she was there, as well as how she needs to get out once more. But will she want to when her heart is suddenly being given to a king? [Fem!HarryPotter/ThorinOakenshield ]





	1. It Isn’t Over

**Author's Note:**

> In this work, Harry was born a girl and she goes through the exact same thing, though her future is not all well. I own only Rose and nothing else.

The war had probably taken an entire piece of her. The end of Voldemort was not the end of her nightmares, nor of her suffering and guilt for all those who gave up their lives in order to see his fall. Rose Potter's name had definitely gone down in history as the savior of not only the magical world, but the entirety of pretty much all who lived. She didn't enjoy the attention, seeing as she hadn't enjoyed the attention she had received before the war happened. Rose didn't want to be a celebrity and she didn't feel much like celebrating Voldemort's end when it was the same day as those who truly mattered to her.

There had been a ceremony a few days after, meant to mourn all the lives that had been taken by either Voldemort's hand or his followers. Rose recalled seeing Sirius', Remus', Tonks', Fred's, Dobby's, Cedric's, Moody's, Dumbledore's, Moaning Myrtle's, Colin Creevey's, her parents', and even Snape's photo and name among so many others. It looked something of a shrine, being held in the courtyard to Hogwarts as everyone gathered to either cry or hold on to each other and try to get through it all. 

Rose had stood between Ron and Hermione, clutching on both of their hands as she silently cried. She couldn't praise the end of Voldemort's reign because that just reminded her that she had done it far too late. She had failed all of those people who were in the moving photos, smiling back toward their loved ones and waving merrily, unaware they weren't their true selves. They were mere fragments of the ones who were lost. 

Months later, Rose was still unemployed, remaining in the Burrow and being closely watched over by Mrs. Weasley who could tell Rose was having a hard time coming back to reality and realizing she no longer has to be on guard. Ron and Hermione visited often, speaking to her of their new endeavors as a, now, married couple with their first baby on the way. Ron had become an Auror soon after the war and Hermione had seized the Transfigurations position, leaving Professor McGonagall to remain as solely headmistress of Hogwarts.

Rose, however, wasn't well fit for a job. She wasn't at all mad(Mrs. Weasley had taken her to St. Mungos just in case), but she was depressed. She didn't want to do much of anything and the only time she slept, which was rare, she'd have reoccurring nightmares either of Voldemort returning or all who died blaming her for their awful ends. Rose simply couldn't find anything that could truly make her happy anymore. It was as if when Voldemort had 'ended her life', he ended that part of her, too.

She had taken up writing about everything. It was never going to be published, but it was definitely helping her with her nightmares. It was something like an autobiography, recalling all the details of her life with the Dursleys and how she had come to save the wizarding world so many times. It had taken months before she got to her sixth year portion where she had to pause, her quill accidentally dropping a drip of ink onto the parchment, staining the paper as Rose's eyebrows crinkled together giving her a look of distinct confusion.

She hadn't thought about the cave where she and Dumbledore had searched through for a Horcrux for a very long time. She assumed she had put it to the back of her mind to forget how it had been a suicide mission and if they found out that Horcrux had been a fake, he would've been ready. But, then again, Rose had to remind herself that the entire death of him had been planned. He was dying, anyway, and the only way for Voldemort to give Snape his full trust was to kill his only remaining obstacle that kept him from Rose.

Rose put the tip of her feathered quill to her lips, gnawing on his slightly as she tried to move on and get to the portion where her headmaster died, but she couldn’t. That cave was the sole reason Dumbledore had been weakened so and had to revisit his dreadful past by drinking the potion to get to the fake locket. She thought for a moment...no...she couldn’t. She knew a trip there would probably end badly; she only wanted to go there to fix her memories of losing him. It had been so hard. Rose thought of him often and the last words he had given her when she was ‘dead’ after Voldemort’s curse.

”Rose, dear,” a gentle voice called. Rose looked up and saw a greying Mrs. Weasley peeking in from the kitchen. She had a traveling cloak on, which told Rose she’d be leaving somewhere. “I’ll be going into Diagon Alley today. Arthur needs a few things to help a case he has down in Surrey, something about a Muggle discovering his daughter was a witch and frightening her silly with his reaction enough for her to blow up the entire house.”

”What?” Rose asked in alarm. 

“Don’t worry! They’re fine, but he needs to appeal to the Ministry that she hadn’t meant to cause such a loss. I’m sure Kingsley would let him pass, but he doesn’t want to show favoritism to him.” Mrs. Weasley bowed her head and shuffled over to the fireplace, grabbing a handful of the Floo powder in a small flower pot that hung on the shelf above the crisp, burnt wood. “Do you need anything while I’m there?”

”No, ma’am, I’m fine,” Rose smiled. “Thank you.”

”No problem, dear,” Mrs. Weasley smiled, climbing into the fireplace with a struggle as she shouted, “DIAGON ALLEY!” Dropping the powder, she disappeared in a flash of green flames, encasing her entire being before she finally disappeared before Rose’s eyes. Already used to it, she turned her green eyes back to the parchment she was currently writing on, biting her lip. She had to. If she didn’t, she’d continue to feel guilty about his end until she was six feet under.

She got to her feet and moved toward the stairs, quickly making her way up to where her room resided, which was Percy’s old bedroom since it was the only one that wasn’t covered in firework ash, Quidditch team posters, and countless clothes Ginny still failed to come and retrieve. She walked inside, ducking her head from the sunken in ceiling. After a disastrous prank from Fred and George, it had ended up tilted inwards, nailing Rose every time in the forehead when she forgot it was there. 

She got to her bed and pulled her messenger bag that Hermione had given her a few birthdays back, unzipping it and walking to her closet, grabbing whatever was near and shoving it into it, her entire arm falling in as if the bag had no end. Hermione had been courteous, giving Rose a bag with an expendable charm if the need ever arose that Rose was leaving for another adventure, which was a constant occurrence in her youth. She couldn’t help but give a small giggle, grabbing a generous amount before moving toward her bed and getting down on her knees, reaching underneath and protruding a large brown case. 

She hesitated for a moment, her fingers on the clasps that kept it locked. What was she doing? What would going to the cave prove? It was over and done with. There was nothing left for her there and it was foolish to think it would solve any guilt residing in the pit of her stomach. 

“No...no, you need to do this. You have to,” she insisted quietly, opening the suitcase and popping the lid back, revealing the contents inside. All that laid inside were a few spell textbooks, her invisibility cloak, the Marauders Map, and the photo album Hagrid had given her in her first year that contained moving pictures of her family as well as newer photos of herself, Ron, and Hermione. “You went back to Grimmauld Place for Sirius...it’s only right you do the same for Dumbledore. Get it together, Rose.”

With that, she took all that was inside the brown case and shoved them unceremoniously into her bag, kicking the suitcase back underneath her bed and grabbing her wand that remained on her nightstand. She stared at it thoughtfully. For a witch, it was quite odd how little she used her magic anymore. But, as luck would have it for dear Rose Potter, magic also seemed to remind her of all that happened. She struggled to use it, often enough just staring at her wand all night until sleep finally overtook her.

Shaking her head, she turned this way and that until she caught sight of her Firebolt laying abandoned by her bed. She would definitely need that if she were to get over those rough waters outside of the cave. Biting her lip, she moved and grabbed it, feeling the dust that had gathered on the material. It had been so long since she had ridden a broom, she knew it was probably going to be difficult to remember, shoving it easily into her bag.

Seeing she had everything she needed for a few days to look around the cave, she quickly summoned a piece of parchment and quill with a flick of her wand, scribbling down a note for either Mr. and Mrs. Weasley to see, hoping they’d understand why she was doing this, especially since she didn’t know why she was doing this. 

Was it to get closure? Was it simply because she needed to do something since all she did was lay around the Burrow thinking horrible thoughts? Or, perhaps, it was because something seemed to be magnetically pulling her toward this specific cave. Something was drawing her towards it. Something wanted her there and her curiosity, as always, was peaking and she was going to discover exactly what it was.

Setting the note on her nightstand, she moved toward the landing outside of her bedroom, making sure everything was in order and narrowly missing the dipped in ceiling as she closed her eyes, imagining the same rock her and Dumbledore had landed upon their Apparition. With a pop! she disappeared from the Burrow and suddenly smelled the crisp, salt water as well as having a lack of hearing since the roaring waters clouded any other sound. Opening her eyes, she felt her stomach slightly drop. She had arrived.

She tried to contain her excitement, which wasn’t at all positive, as she reached inside her bag, searching for a moment until she felt her Firebolt’s handle, pulling it from the bag’s depths and shaking it to rid the cobwebs from the brush at the end as well as the dust bunnies that took away from the original woodwork. Shaking her head, she quickly sat astride it and kicked off, feeling herself fly upwards in a quick heap, nearly tossing herself off from it. 

“Okay, big boy, try to give me some help here,” she hissed quietly, patting the front of the handle as if it were some kind of horse. Clearing her throat, she situated her bag and dipped forward, feeling the broom follow her lead and quickly fly towards the opening of the cavern, feeling the shadows overtake her, shielding her vision completely until her broom hit rock and she suddenly fell, hitting her back painfully so. She grunted in pain, feeling the broom fall onto her stomach. “Guess I’m a little rusty.” She let out a painful laugh. 

Struggling to get to her feet, Rose dusted herself off and grabbed her broom, shoving it back into her bag before retrieving her wand and hissing a quiet, “Lumos!” Instantly, the tip of her wand ignited in a bright white light, giving her a small look of the entrance to the cave. It looked as it had last time, gloomy and miserable. She wrinkled her nose. Even after Voldemort’s end, the black magic remained. She supposed that also meant blood was the only way inside. 

She looked at her hand, biting the inside of her cheek. It was the only way inside. Taking her wand, she hissed a spell and winced, feeling the cut open and begin to bleed, the red seeping down her hand like a river. Taking it, she pressed it to the rock in front of her, hearing it hiss for a moment before opening obediently, small enough for her to bend down and crawl through. She struggled slightly. She was definitely not as small as she used to be in her sixth year when she first came here. 

On the other side, from what her wand’s light showed her, it looked exactly as they had left it. There was still the giant black lake as well as the light in the distance that was the pedestal that held the fake locket inside. Rose looked around, pointing her wand this way and that to see what else there was. Perhaps she felt she had to come here because there was something she and Dumbledore missed. Something important. But there was nothing. There was no foreign writing on the wall or anything that told her something was different. 

“Of course,” she mumbled quietly, giving her head a gentle shake. This was pointless. She came here for nothing. She turned to leave but stopped in her tracks almost instantly. The water had moved...almost as if something were beneath its depths trying to escape. Rose frowned. Last time she was here, all the creatures inside had been burnt to a crisp by Dumbledore’s magic. There should be none left. Nevertheless, quite stupidly of course, she approached to investigate.

She brought her wand closer to herself, holding it over the black water to try and see if it was translucent enough for her to see what was moving. It could be just a simple fish, but something told her it wasn’t. She bent closer, squinting. Still, nothing was there, but the movement came again.

”What the bloody hell?” she asked quietly, leaning forward close enough for her nose to touch the water. That was when she felt a sharp kick to her rear and felt herself be shoved into the water, sinking pitifully as she struggled to swim back up again. But a weight had settled itself over her head, shoving her further and further and further... She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t see. All she knew was she was going to drown. She was going to drown and nobody except Mr. and Mrs. Weasley would know. 

Suddenly, she met a surface. 

It was almost as if the entire water had turned upside down and where she had been falling was instead floating upwards. But as she finally gained a painful breath of air, she suddenly felt sunlight. 

“What on earth?” 

Rose looked up, her hair plastered around her face, restricting her vision for a moment, just before her eyes widened. Looking down at her seemed to be an extremely short man with light brown hair, baring quite large feet with fur running down the top. 

“I’m not in the cave anymore,” Rose choked.


	2. Bag End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose meets Bilbo

Rose sputtered for a moment, staring up at the strange man with a look of either horror or simple shock. The man simply stared back down at her, his arms full of what looked to be carrots and onions. Perhaps she did drown in the black lagoon that had once held living dead people that tried to kill herself and Dumbledore. This was probably the afterlife of some sort, or maybe it was a hallucination and she was about to die for real, but she could freely breathe. Everything felt normal, but it wasn't.

"Do you need help, miss?" the man asked, carefully setting aside the vegetables he held so he could offer each of his hands for Rose to take. She didn't accept the help right away; she was still at a complete loss for words. What on earth was going on? 

"I'm sorry, I'm pretty sure I'm not supposed to be here. I...I need to get back. Yes, that's what I need to do," Rose babbled, wiping her raven hair out from her eyes to see better. The man was squat and tiny, his hair in unruly, golden brown curls that somewhat reminded her of Hermione's hair. His eyes were blue and kind, his face aging while he wore a red vest over brown breeches over abnormally large feet coated in a thick brush of hair. Without a second thought, Rose suddenly went unwater again. "Oh, goodness! Ma'am! I assure you that is most unsanitary; there are many fish in there..." But she didn't hear him, continuing to swim downwards, trying to find whatever tunnel or pathway brought her here. 

She never found it.

Instead, all that was below was a thick layer of wet sand covered in green and tiny crabs that moved out of her way as she began to dig around, wondering if she came in through some kind of sinkhole, but there was none. Finally, when air was needed, Rose kicked off the bottom and flew out of the surface, splashing the foreign man accidentally as he jumped back in surprise.

"Where the hell am I?" Rose demanded, finally crawling out of the small pond she had somehow ended up in. "You! Explain yourself now!" She took out her wand and pointed it, until realizing it was still lit from her previous spell. Quickly, she hissed, "Nox!" The wand's light was diminished, Rose taking it and jabbing it slightly into the man's chest as he fell backwards onto his rear.

"Wait, wait, wait!" he protested, holding his hands up to defend himself. "I swear I have done nothing to cause you harm! I was returning back from the market and all I see is a girl flying from the pond!"

"I don't believe you," Rose growled, "Too scared to bring your own wand out? You're a Death Eater, aren't you? This was some sort of trap I have fallen into!" She suddenly grabbed his right wrist and pulled back the red sleeve and waited to see the dark mark that should've been there, but it wasn't. There was nothing there. Frowning deeply she grabbed the other and did the same thing, still not seeing anything that indicated he was part of Voldemort's side that still reigned.

"Oh gods," Rose sighed, lifting a hand to her face and removing her wand from his chest. "Oh, I'm sorry, I thought..."

"Bilbo Baggins!" a voice suddenly called from behind Rose, making her whip around and point her wand again out of defense. She was completely on edge. She didn't know where she was and there seemed to be nothing but strange strangers. It was another squat little person with big feet, with wiry blond hair, his clothes tainted with dirt and grass stains as if he were just rolling around in someone's garden. "My word! Who is this? What's going on?"

"That's what I want to know," Rose insisted, her green eyes blazing in distrust. "My name is Rose Potter, and I want to know exactly where I am and where I turn to get back to the cave."

"Cave? What cave?" the man asked. It was hard to take either of these beings seriously, seeing as both were as short as her stomach. Perhaps she had wandered into a land of little people, but that still didn't explain the large feet.

"Hamfast, if I may," 'Bilbo Baggins' spoke, shakily getting to his feet and dusting himself off. "I believe what, erm, Rose Potter could use is a nice cup of strong tea. She seems a bit on edge. I'll be happy to take her in; I'll give you the day off." Hamfast didn't move; he was staring at Bilbo as if he had grown a second head of some sort, but Rose was unmoving, still keeping her wand pointed to him and suddenly switching to point it at Bilbo.

"You think I'm stupid?" she scoffed, "I'm not going anywhere with you! I'm wasting my time here." She finally put her wand back down to her side, glaring at the two of them before closing her eyes and imagining the Burrow in her mind, deciding if she was going to get anywhere, Apparition was the only way. With a small pop!, she disappeared and felt as if she were stuck in a tiny tube as she moved until she landed on her feet again.

"Thank Merlin, I thought-" she opened her eyes again and frowned, seeing she had only Apparated ten feet away from the foreign men, both staring at her as if she had grown a second head. "No, no, no, no..." She groaned and closed her eyes tighter, this time imagining the small cottage Ron and Hermione resided in, feeling herself stuffed inside the small tube again, falling back down to the ground and opening one eye hesitantly, furious to see she was now right behind Bilbo Baggins and across from Hamfast. 

"This is my hell," she finally decided, "I'm being punished. Dropped in a place I've never been before and give me no where to go."

"A witch," Hamfast suddenly hissed, pointing. "You are a witch! That is the whole deal with waving a stick about. You can do magic! I thought...I thought there were only five wizards in Middle-Earth, though, and I'm absolutely positive none of them are female!" He looked at Bilbo for aid, but Bilbo seemed to be in shock, having jumped a large ways away from Rose when she appeared behind him.

"At least I don't have to wipe your memories if you know of magic," Rose reasoned, shaking her head like a dog to try and dry it faster, using each of her hands to ring it. "I always hate wiping memories, it's such a....wait, did you say Middle-Earth? What the bloody hell is Middle-Earth?"

Bilbo and Hamfast exchanged a glance before Bilbo took initiative to speak, his voice unusually high as if he were terrified of Rose, "Middle-Earth is...here, Miss Potter, it's everywhere here. Are you sure you're alright? Perhaps you've gained a concussion or you've got water hanging in your lungs." He held out a hand, again for her to take, and Rose took it this time. If he knew more about where she was, she needed as much information as she could get. "Hamfast, I'll be treating her to dinner and some herbal tea to aid her from whatever sickness she probably has. You may go home."

Hamfast nodded, still staring at Rose peculiarly before quickly taking off. Bilbo patted Rose's hand in a fatherly fashion as he began to pull her to where Hamfast took off to. She stopped in her tracks, making him stumble forward slightly as he looked back at her, having to stare upwards due to her height. 

"Aren't you...your vegetables," she gestured to the forgotten food that still laid by the banks of the pond.

"Oh, of course," Bilbo smiled, releasing her hand and waddling over to lift them up. Rose rolled her eyes and pointed her wand, simply saying, "Windgardium Leviosa!" With ease, the vegetables were suddenly floating in midair, bobbing with the light breeze as she dumped the load into Bilbo's awaiting, shocked arms. 

"I thought you knew of magic," Rose tested as she followed Bilbo, the small man making his way down the path, the pond slowly disappearing behind them. Rose couldn't help but look over her shoulder at it. Why on earth did the lagoon take her here? What was Middle-Earth? Was she dead? Was she about to be dead?

"Yes, well, Hobbits aren't as exposed to it, ma'am, and as well, we knew nothing of a witch such as yourself. I've only truly witnessed one wizard in my life, which was long ago," Bilbo grunted and situated the vegetables so they sat more snuggly in his arms without the fear of them falling over. 

"Hobbits? What are Hobbits?" Rose asked.

"Us, ma'am, we are Hobbits. You should easily tell as such by my feet or even my lack of facial hair," Bilbo answered. "And, anyway, the only wizard I've ever seen was Gandalf the Grey, and even then all he had were some of the most greatest fireworks. That's pretty much all; he did not make things float or teleport this way and that. Middle-Earth has never seen magic like that before, I don't think."

"Middle-Earth...what is that? Is it like a country, or-or something?"

"Uh...no. Middle-Earth is our world. You've lived here long enough, should you not know what it is?" Bilbo asked.

"No, I come from just...earth. I had been looking through an old cave that I had visited long ago that me and my headmaster of my school searched through for something of importance. Something was drawing me back there and I foolishly went and something pushed me into the lagoon that was there and now I'm here, drenched and speaking to a Hobbit," Rose grimaced. Even saying it aloud sounded absolutely mad. Was the lagoon some sort of portal between worlds? That was insane! There couldn't be other worlds; Rose was sure Hermione would have told her considering how much she read.

"You are telling me you do not come from these lands?" Bilbo asked, turning around a small bend and continuing his way, though Rose stopped in her tracks, eyes wide in amazement on what stood around her blind side. It was a village of some sort with smials this way and that, Hobbits of all kind walking around and greeting each other friendly as they went on about their day, doing laundry, tending to beautiful gardens, or just smoking a long pipe on their wooden fences. "Miss...Miss Potter? Oh, sorry, I should've explained where we were going. This is Bag End, my home. I like to believe it is the most beautiful of the Shire." 

Rose followed him, her mouth still fallen open; she could easily step over the wooden fence while he just opened the gate door and began walking down a stone pathway, greeting a few Hobbits along the way, all who stared up at Rose with curiosity, otherwise giving Bilbo disapproving looks, as if he weren't supposed to welcome a witch into - did he say Bag End?

"I take it you don't get many foreign visitors," Rose mused.

"I get visitors just fine, but none of your kind. I apologize if that sounded insensitive, but...Hobbits tend to be the only ones around here." Bilbo shrugged, still walking as if nothing were wrong. Hobbits continued to stare at Rose as they passed until they started going uphill. At the tip of this tiny mound was a home like the others, though the garden seemed just a tad more beautiful and the house well attended to. Rose closed the garden gate behind the two of them and walked up with Bilbo to the front door where he struggled to get a grip on the doorknob. Smiling amusedly, Rose did it for him, pushing the giant door open and having to bend low in order to get inside.

"Thank you, my dear," Bilbo stated, shuffling toward the room to the left and returning after a few long moments to see Rose awkwardly squatting down to avoid hitting her head on the chandelier that was high above Bilbo's head but just the right height to smack Rose upside the head. "Oh, yes, that does seem a little annoying. I apologize."

"No, I think if I just..." Rose turned her wand to herself, whispering quietly, "Reducio." Suddenly, Rose felt herself grow several inches lower, just the size that Bilbo seemed to be. Now everything seemed to be the perfect fit; Rose turned to give Bilbo a confident smile, but the poor Hobbit seemed much more in shock than before, gently jabbing his index finger to the room he had previously disappeared in. "Erm...right through here. My dining table is now fit for you, I presume, how do you take your tea?"

"Whatever's easiest," Rose stated, following him into the dining room and smiling at how neat everything seemed to be. Bilbo sure liked to keep things organized, and even when done so Rose felt so at home. She wondered if all Hobbits were this hospitable, making their guests feel quite comfortable. Rose sure did. However, before she sat, Bilbo stopped her.

"I am terribly sorry, it's just...that type of wood could stain very easily and you're still all wet-" he babbled on uselessly.

"Oh! Not a problem," Rose grinned, taking her wand again, and using a drying charm, she suddenly felt much warmer than she had before, her hair slightly frizzy, but otherwise dry. Again, Bilbo seemed to stare at her in amazement as she sat down upon the chair without a second thought. Clearing his throat, he bowed to her and left to make the tea.

"So," Rose began loudly so he could hear her, "I suppose I should tell you exactly all I know so it'll be easier for you to explain exactly where I am and help me get back to my own earth, if this is...what was it called? Middle-Earth?"

"Precisely!"

"Right, okay, then," Rose nodded curtly. "Well, I suppose it started in the Burrow when I was writing down a few things. I mentioned this particular cave from way back when and...I dunno, I suppose something was just telling me to go there, so I did. I apparated(that teleporting thing I did earlier), and I flew to the cave. To get inside, you need to use your own blood, which I did, which brings me further in where this giant black lagoon sits inside and a bright light at the end of it, which is where a large crystal-like pedestal sits. Anyway, nothing seemed to be odd there until I saw movement in the water. Stupidly, I went to investigate, something shoves me in, I try to get back to the surface, I end up in that pond."

"Interesting," Bilbo replied, "Well, I can only tell you so much. You see, I haven't ever left the Shire, which is here, so all I know is what's here. If only my mother were around; according to her tales, she's been everywhere." His tone seemed lighter at the mention of his mother. Rose couldn't help but smile. "Well, this is Middle-Earth, of course, and as Hamfast mentioned, apparently there are only five wizards around here. I've only met the one, but that was long, long, long ago. And even then, I never even received a glimpse of his magic, other than the fireworks he seemed to produce."

"What was his name again?" Rose asked.

"Gandalf. Gandalf the Grey." Bilbo answered, suddenly returning with two tea cups, both with intricate floral patterns. He handed the pink one to Rose, which she took gratefully. "There are others here, other than Hobbits. There are humans, or mortals as some say. Elves, dwarves, us Hobbits...hm...trolls, giants..."

"We have those in our world as well," Rose stated, "Though they weren't things you'd catch the eye of when walking down the street. Well, humans are a majority, but trolls and giants tend to stay with their own kind. The only elves I knew just worked for important families. My friend, Hermione, constantly fought for their rights."

"Elves do not have rights where you come from?"

"No, not at all. House-elves serve a family until they die or are set free. To be set free, they have to receive a piece of clothing from their owners. They're itty bitty things, quite ugly, too, but they're so good. I knew an elf, Dobby. I had set him free and he was just so helpful since. He was in my debt apparently." Rose smiled thoughtfully at his memory.

"Elves are proud beings here, quite beautiful, too. Of course, I've never crossed one, so I wouldn't know," Bilbo shrugged, seeming to find Rose's world completely unordinary. He took a sip of his tea, Rose doing the same and smacking her lips at the taste. It was very sweet; she liked it.

"You were looking for something on my wrist when you got me to fall," Bilbo suddenly mentioned, "What were you looking for? A concealed weapon?"

"Not exactly," Rose winced. "Actually, I was looking for-"

But Rose never got to talk of the Dark Mark, because a heavy knock suddenly caught Bilbo's door, startling them both from their brief conversation. Rose looked over before looking back at Bilbo in confusion.

"Are you expecting company?"

"No," Bilbo answered, slowly standing and going to answer the door, his hands tucked close to his body as he opened the door.

"Bilbo Baggins," an old voice spoke, making Rose get up to peek around the corner to see if a Hobbit was on his doorstep, but there wasn't. Instead, there was a tall man, probably a few inches over Rose's original height before she shrunk herself down, draped in grey with a pointy hat to match. He bared a long wooden staff as he smiled down at Bilbo before glancing toward Rose, making her flinch. "and...you! My, how interesting, perhaps this will be a lot more entertaining than I thought."

Rose froze slightly.

He looked near exact to Dumbledore.


	3. Dwarves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose Potter is meeting nothing but dwarves, but little does she know how much each will mean to her.

Rose fully made her way into the walkway now, set fully on what exactly this man was talking about and why he was appearing on Bilbo's doorstep unannounced, especially considering Bilbo seemed slightly unassured as well. The man, however, looked distinctly excited, switching the staff to the opposite hand as he bowed his head down to the two of them, as if he found the two of them as common as gravy on mashed potatoes.

"You're...Gandalf," Bilbo said slowly, lifting up a meek finger.

"Indeed, I am! I'm glad you have recognized me! I would have figured you'd forgotten," Gandalf smiled, placing a hand over his chest. "You are Bilbo Baggins, as I have stated before and you..." His eyes landed on Rose, who stood beside Bilbo with a wide smile. "I don't know exactly who you are."

"Rose Potter," Rose finally stated, her eyes narrowing. "Wait just a minute, you're Gandalf? Gandalf the wizard?"

Gandalf didn't seem so surprised that she asked such a question. He did a bow as if to state the obvious. Rose finally grew much more excited than she had before. Of course! He was her ticket out of here! If he truly was a wizard, he could find a way to get her back to her own world, seeing as Middle-Earth was nothing close to it. He had to be the answer; she was sure she wasn't going to see another wizard for the next millennium, and she'd be dead by then. She needed to get home now. The Weasleys were probably worried sick, most likely calling Ron and Hermione desperately to find out where Rose's whereabouts were and probably getting them to panic as well. Rose didn't have time for anymore explaining of herself. She loved how much hospitality Bilbo gave her, but her place wasn't there.

"Great, then...then you can get me home!" Rose clapped her hands excitedly. "You see, I'm not exactly from here-"

"Well, I can tell. You're no Hobbit," Gandalf chortled.

"No, no, no!" Rose quickly diminished that argument, saying, "I mean I'm not from this world. Middle-Earth is not where I have come from. I came from-from earth! Please, you have to have some idea as to how to get me back. You're this world's wizard. Your magic must have a way." Rose interlocked her hands desperately, showing she was now pleading desperately. If he could not help her, what else was there for her to do? She couldn't live in this world. She didn't even know this world!

"I'm afraid I don't understand," Gandalf admitted quietly. He probably thought she was crazy, which made this whole matter a lot worse.

"Long story," Bilbo answered, before asking a different question that Gandalf could answer, "What are you doing here?"

"Simple." Gandalf smiled once more, "I have been looking for someone to share an adventure with!"

Bilbo and Rose stared incredulously.

"An adventure?" Bilbo repeated.

"Why, yes!"

"I'm afraid you won't find anyone west of Bree who would have much interest in adventures. Nasty, disturbing, uncomfortable things. Make you late for dinner, hm... As well, I currently have my hands full with aiding Miss Potter here. She does need help returning home. Found her in the pond not too far. It does appear she's not from here." Bilbo patted Rose gingerly on the shoulder.

The female Potter nodded eagerly, grateful Bilbo pulled the conversation back to her so they could find a way to get her back home without anymore trouble and confusion. "Really, sir, I'm not. I'm from earth where creatures roam the same, but...we're somewhat more modern in technology and location-wise. I've no place here. Please...there must be something you can do."

Gandalf pondered for a moment, thumbing the tip of his staff as he contemplated what answer to give. Rose hung onto the silence impatiently, her green eyes worried. What if he refused? What if there was no way back home? Finally, the wizard smiled once more, almost contagiously so as he addressed the hobbit and witch with a sort of business-like tone. "It's decided, then. I shall return tonight with your answer, Miss Potter, as well as with the others. It would be good for you, Bilbo, you'll see."

"I did not request for any adventures to be brought upon my doorstep!" Bilbo protested.

"You also did not request for a witch to be taken into your home!" Gandalf reminded.

"How did you know I was-" Rose was cut off by Bilbo's consistent yells before slamming the door unceremoniously in Gandalf's face, which Rose found odd since Bilbo seemed so kind to guests. She could only assume it was because this Gandalf fellow was not listening to reason. The Hobbit just did not want to go on an adventure.

"Bilbo!" Rose cried, opening the door again, but as if by apparition, the wizard had disappeared from sight. She looked around desperately, before groaning and slamming her head into the wood of the door once she closed it again. "He was my only hope!"

"Hardly. Why would he have to wait until tonight to get you home? If you ask me, he was stalling for time to get whatever others he is speaking of!" Bilbo brushed it off, but even he seemed a bit guilty. "I refuse to attend an adventure. Hobbits do not do adventures. I am perfectly fine sitting in my home, drinking tea, and aiding you with your problem. I'm sure we could find another solution other than Gandalf!"

Rose turned to him, her expression sour. He gave her what she presumed he thought was an assuring grin before returning to the dining room to refill their teacups. She tutted to herself, slowly turning to follow him, the question still on her mind: how did Gandalf know she was a witch? She never told him what she was; however, he knew. But he didn't know her identity personally, so how on earth - er - Middle-Earth did he realize she was born of magic as well?

Throughout the rest of the night, Bilbo and Rose continued to converse at the table, finishing about three teacups each as they tried to find any solution that would be able to help Rose return home. She told him about Hogwarts, though she purposely let out all the adventures she endured there, only telling him she was sorted in Gryffindor and learned how to control her magic while she attended there. She even told him about Ron and Hermione, feeling it would be an insult to them not to mention her best friends.

Bilbo then told her much more of Bag End as well as her parents, who according to him, built Bag End as a token of the father's love to his mother. Apparently an adventurous streak was common for Tooks, which was Bilbo's mother's family. Rose didn't tell him, but now she somewhat understood why Gandalf had decided to choose Bilbo for his supposed adventure.

Time passed, and soon Bilbo was up and making dinner for the both of them, humming merrily to himself while Rose sat glumly at the table, tapping the tip of her wand repeatedly on the desk, watching as small sparks ignited, coating the spot over and over again in red and gold before disappearing shortly after. How was she going to get out of this? Right now it seemed like she was never going to get home. She was going to stay here for forever while those in the wizarding world genuinely knew her are going to wonder where she went off to. She thought amusedly of a frantic Hermione and Ron thumbing through several of Hermione's books to see if they could find her that way, seeing as that was always Hermione's answer.

"Here you are, my dear," Bilbo gently broke her from her thoughts, shoving a plate of salmon into her face with some vegetables that looked like the carrots and onions chopped off to the side in seasoning. Bilbo had a plate to himself, sitting across from her. He noticed her expression and frowned guiltily. "I really am sorry I can't be of much help. Really, I wish there was a way that I could. Your home sounds quite grand, almost like a story."

"It sure felt like one," Rose replied, giving a smile, "This looks delicious." Taking up some of the cutlery that he brought with her dinner, Rose cut a piece and raised it to her mouth, waiting for the good taste to burst on her tongue, but it never came, her actions interrupted by yet another knock that startled herself and Bilbo, who seemed to be squeezing a small lemon over his meal for more flavor. 

"I really hope that's Gandalf," Rose pleaded, getting to her feet with Bilbo.

"Well, if so, that'd be fantastic news for you and a bit of a bad news for me. Whatever the reason, let us go greet him," Bilbo smiled, raising himself to his feet pompously and going to answer the door, Rose right behind him with her expression glistening in excitement. Gandalf had to help her. There was no other way out. Rose was positive for it. Bilbo unlocked his door and opened it, smiling graciously before frowning in horror, for on the other side was not Gandalf nor a Hobbit. Well, Rose wasn't quite sure what it was, but she could tell if she were her original height, she'd stand about four inches above him, but even then he would be intimidating. He had tattoos on his bald head as well as a long black beard adorned in small beadings. He wore armor made of steel with a weapon situated in a hip holster. 

"Dwalin," he bowed, "at your service...es."

Bilbo bowed in awe, probably unsure of what else to say other than, "Bilbo Baggins, at yours."

Rose could only stare incredulously, her shoulders drooping with the impression she was incredibly disappointed. Of course, of all things to show up at the door, a...what was he? Shaking her head silly, she mumbled, "Rose Potter." Dwalin, now satisfied he received both names, suddenly strode in, nearly knocking over Bilbo and Rose moving out of the way just in time. 

"Do you know him?" Rose whispered.

"Not at all," Bilbo hissed back, his expression quite exasperated.

"So, where is it?" Dwalin barked, catching the two by surprise as he suddenly looked back at them, quite determined. "Is it down here?"

"Is what down where?" Bilbo asked.

"Dinner! He said there'd be plenty!" Dwalin answered, turning into the dining room and making his way in. Bilbo looked at Rose in shock before racing after him to see what this being could cause. Rose stayed behind, running a hand through her black hair as she tried to make sense of the situation. In other words, she had to think like Hermione would. Dwalin mentioned a he, which meant someone told him Bilbo's location. Gandalf had mentioned a they, meaning...

"Gandalf sent him," Rose decided aloud, smiling at her own discovery as she joined Dwalin and Bilbo in the dining room where Dwalin seemed to be enjoying both hers and Bilbo's plates while the poor Hobbit sat off to the side, looking on in disgust. "I'm sorry, I hate to interrupt your massacring of that salmon, but was Gandalf the one that sent you?" Bilbo perked up at the name and looked at Dwalin to see his answer as well.

He had nodded. "Aye, and the rest of the company, but I decided to head out early, make sure the Hobbit and the witch weren't hidin' nothin' suspicious." Rose's eyes widened; Gandalf also seemed to tell him of what she was. It still amazed her how the wizard had known what Rose was. She never mentioned anything and she was sure she hadn't used magic in front of him. She wondered bemusedly if she was affecting the Ministry's Statute of Secrecy, but she was also in an entirely different world, so those laws were probably tarnished.

"It's good, this," Dwalin commented, gesturing to the food. "Got anymore?"

"Oh, yes. Yes!" Bilbo perked up, jumping to his feet to go and retrieve more fill for Dwalin just as the door was knocked on again. "Rose, if you could please get that, I'd very much appreciate it!"

Rose nodded, leaving the dining room once more to open the large round door, revealing another abnormally short man that was even smaller than her, even in her reduced state. He bore a long white beard over robes of marroon. His eyes were kind and aged, somewhat wise as well much like Dumbledore’s used to be. He looked up at her, not seeming surprised.

”Balin,” he greeted, “At your service.”

”Rose Potter,” Rose replied quietly. “I’m sorry, are you sure you’re at the right home?”

”Does Bilbo Baggins reside here?”

”Yes.”

”Then, of course I am!” Balin smiled, walking in past her. Rose watched him go, absolutely flabbergasted. Closing the door gently behind her, she followed as Balin found the dining room as easily as Dwalin did, attracted to the thought of food. Bilbo seemed to be having a tug-of-war with Dwalin when Rose and Balin arrived, fighting over a cookie jar Dwalin wanted. 

“Brother!” Balin greeted, smiling toward Dwalin. Rose watched as the other momentarily forgot about his reward, dropping the cookie jar clumsily in Bilbo’s hands as he went to greet the orher. 

“What are they?” Rose asked as she got to Bilbo, following him to place the cookie jar back onto the shelf they retrieved it from. “They’re not Hobbits; their feet aren’t like yours.”

”If I had to guess...dwarves,” Bilbo sighed. “Rowdy, dirty things. That Dwalin has ruined our dinner and now there is another.” They both watched the dwarves but heads aggressively, almost like a greeting. “I have to guess by the other’s greeting that they’re brothers.”

Rose nodded. “The smaller is Balin.”

Suddenly, yet another knock came to the door and Bilbo groaned miserably, unceremoniously dropping into a chair beside the dinner table. Rose took initiative and went to answer the door. This time, on the other side were younger dwarves, one with a stubble beard with a half up-half down hair that was as brown as bark on a tree. The other was blond with a much longer beard that was in complicated braids and beading much like Dwalin’s. Both bowed to her.

”Fili!”

”And Kili!”

They spoke together. “At your service!”

Rose smiled nervously. “Ah...Rose Potter.”

”Ah-ha! The witch!” Kili exclaimed happily. “Gandalf told us you were going to be a right asset. Now, then! Where’s dinner?” He and Kili walked in, leaving Rose at a loss for words. They just spoke as if Gandalf told them she was going on this adventure. There was no way she could. He promised her her answer as to when and how she was getting back home.

What made it all the more worse was that Rose didn’t want another adventure. She’s had quite enough of them back in her day. She already triumphed over the biggest dark wizard in the world; she had no idea what these dwarves and, apparently, Bilbo were facing, but she wanted no part of it. 

From the dining room, she heard Bilbo’s loud cries of protest and Rose ran toward it to see what was happening. Standing in the doorway, she saw the dwarves moving around tables and chairs, scraping the clean wooden floors as they did so, practically uncaring they were ruining it. Rose spotted Bilbo in the corner clutching an empty plate that had previously been holding his dinner, looking quite distressed.

”Hey, you lot!” Rose echoed loudly, the dwarves looking at her, frozen with whatever they were doing. Dwalin was holding up one end of the table, Kili was dragging a chair that had Balin sitting comfortably in it, and Fili was taking an entire line of chairs by pushing them like a train. “Get out of the way!” She lifted her wand and said simply, “Wingardium Leviosa!” Instantly, the table was floating as if it were a feather. She looked at Dwalin expectantly, seeing him stare at it in awe, backing away with his hand across his axe. 

“Well?” Rose asked. “Where do you want it?”

Clearing his throat, the tattooed dwarf pointed. “There.” Rose moved it and set it down carefully, before putting the same spell on each of the chairs, lining them up neatly with Balin at the very end, sipping what looked to be ale in a teacup he had retrieved somehow. 

“That was awesome!” Kili exclaimed, running over tailed by Fili. “I’ve never seen magic up close before. Could you do it again? Do something else!”

”Set Kili on fire,” Fili suggested seriously, smiling giddily. Instead of looking affronted or even the least bit offended, Kili nodded eagerly, his puppy dog-like eyes watching Rose carefully that she felt weary, backing away slowly. 

“Um...actually, I’d prefer-“

As if answering her prayers, another knock came to the door. “Got to answer that!” She quickly rushed to the door away from the amazed dwarves, feeling distinctly overwhelmed as she flattened the front of her shirt and opened the door, crying out as she was knocked over by an entire pile of dwarves who seemed confused and surprised to enter the home in such a way. 

“Hullo!” a dwarf clad in a weird looking hat greeted, tipping it to her. 

Rose glared, before looking up and smiling excitedly.

”Gandalf!”


	4. News

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose gets whiff of what Gandalf plans for her, and she knows she does not like it.

The dwarves had struggled to get up, each one introducing themselves to Rose. There were the two brothers, Gloin and Oin, the three brothers, Dori, Nori, and Ori, as well as the two brothers, Bofur and Bombur, with their cousin, Bifur. Each one had their own attributes that diffused them from the other dwarves. Rose did flinch when she saw the axe poking out of Bifur's head. However, her real interest was Gandalf, ignoring the dwarves as they ran about Bilbo's home going in and out of the pantry to grab any food that was left for their greedy hands. 

"Well, Rose Potter, it seems the dwarves have become relatively interested at your abilities," Gandalf playfully noted, helping her up. "I can only wish Bilbo became more acquainted as you have." Rose dusted herself off, turning and giggling as she watched Bilbo struggle with the dwarves taking his food, even going as far as to fight with Ori over tomatoes. She turned back to Gandalf, tugging at his cloak as he moved to make way into the dining room.

"Mind telling me why the dwarves suddenly think I'm going on this adventure with you? I don't recall asking that when you came up to Bilbo's doorstep. I want my answer, Gandalf, can you please help me get home?" Rose begged, now following the wizard into the dining room where all of the dwarves were setting up food.

"I do have an answer, but it will have to wait for everyone to be present!" Gandalf declared, smiling toward Dori who held out some tea for him, "Oh, no thank you, Dori, I actually would prefer a nice red wine." Dori nodded and disappeared. Rose watched him go before looking back at Gandalf, her expression incredulous.

"Isn't this all of the 'them' you spoke about earlier?" Rose jabbed her thumb over to the dwarves now carrying bowls of cracked eggs that the one called Nori expertly did all at once, apparently having very nimble hands because he was a good thief. "Who else are we waiting for? I don't think Bilbo's home can handle anymore."

"Just one, I'm afraid, I do hope he's alright," Gandalf sighed, smiling as he accepted a tiny cup of the red wine he requested, thanking Dori.

"He's just late is all," someone spoke from beside them. Gandalf and Rose turned to look at Dwalin, who stood behind a dining room chair, gripping the top of it. "He traveled North to a meeting of our kin. He will come."

"Yay," Rose said sarcastically, rolling her eyes as she turned to Gandalf again, "I'm sorry, but why does this stranger's attendance matter over me returning home? Do you realize how desperate I am at the moment?"

"Precisely why I'm keeping my word, Miss Potter. Why don't you relax and enjoy yourself? I'm sure the dwarves would have no problem including you in their feast!" Gandalf offered, gesturing toward the table where all of the dwarves slowly began to settle down, laughing joyously together as they pooled around Bilbo's food and jugs of ale they had found. Bilbo was off to the side, standing uselessly in front of his pantry, so distraught in losing his food. Rose frowned and went to speak with him instead, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"You okay?" Rose asked. 

"Oh! I'm absolutely fantastic. I've just had twelve dwarves ransacking the very food I bought for myself and are now doing everything they can to ruin just about everything else." Bilbo sighed. He turned to her and meekly shrugged. "I suppose all I can do now is accept it. After all, Gandalf seems a persistent wizard."

"I'm sorry," Rose apologized, "I wish I could get them out of here, but I'm afraid if I do Gandalf won't..."

"I know; trust me, I want you to get home, too," Bilbo smiled. Rose returned it, hugging him warmly before turning and approaching the kitchen where the dwarves banged their fists on the table with glee, laughing at the raunchy jokes Bofur seemed to be telling. Rose awkwardly stood in the doorway, watching in mild interest.

"Miss Potter!" Kili called once he saw her. "Please! Join us!"

"Oh, no, I think I'm better at watching," Rose denied, but Fili was already out of his seat, rushing over and practically dragging her to the table, situating her between himself and his brother. "Or I guess I could join you. Um...could you pass some ale over?"

"A woman who drinks? I like it!" Nori commented, sliding over a big jug of it. Rose grinned, taking it carefully into her hands and tipping it over into her mouth, the taste bursting on her tongue. She wondered if earth's Firewhiskey could compare to this. It would definitely burn down her throat, but it wasn't as delicious. Licking her lips, Rose smiled around, the dwarves all cheering. 

"I fancy an idea," Bofur demanded, slamming his hand flat on the tabletop. "Follow my lead, boys!" He took a chug of his drink, taking enough that there were so few drops left, just before he slammed it down and opened his mouth wide to let out a disgusting belch that practically echoed off the thin, well painted walls. 

"Please!" Bombur brushed that off, taking his own jug and doing the same, which made all the dwarves and even a very humored Rose do the same. Bilbo watched in both disgust and amazement as they all downed their ales. One belch after another. Bombur's was just as loud as Bofur's, but then Ori went and surprised them all, shaking the table with it. Apparently he was the youngest, but Rose couldn't let him have such a title when she had spent so many years in the Great Hall challenging the Weasley twins in her own belch contests. Slamming her jug down, Rose got to her feet and cupped her hands over her mouth, letting out the loudest belch of them all, the laughter and jokes of the dwarves suddenly going silent as they watched her until she finished.

She looked around at all of them, smiling proudly. However, it slowly turned to a frown at the silence. Had she overstepped her boundaries? She hesitantly glanced over at Bilbo, who had his own mouth agape, surprised at her. Just before Rose could get up and attempt to sidle away in embarrassment, but she never got up, Kili and Fili suddenly jumping to their feet to clap her on the back, the dwarves going into an uproar of cheering, yelling to the heavens as Rose laughed. Perhaps waiting for that last dwarf to arrive wasn't such a bad thing after all.

She glanced towards Gandalf, seeing him smile at her kindly, puffing at his pipe. His look was knowing, as if he were waiting for that smile to appear, or he was waiting for Rose to truly interact with the dwarves. Whatever the reason, Rose didn't know if she liked that look or not. Despite this small bit of fun, she still wanted to return home.

"So, Miss Potter," Dwalin started up thoughtfully, "you've already shown four of us what you can do, but I don't think the others have seen what you can do. I know you wouldn't mind showin' us."

Rose looked around, seeing the dwarves all staring at her with the same curious expressions, all besides Dwalin, Balin, Fili, and Kili since they had already witnessed a piece of it. Although, she supposed it wouldn't hurt too much to show them magic. She was sure if any bad came of it, there were such things as memory charms. She only wished she was better at them; Hermione was always the superior one. 

"Alright, why not?" Rose smiled, taking out her wand and holding it above the table. The dwarves leaned in interestedly. "Something small would probably be best. Um...okay! Avis..." Tiny birds suddenly flew from the tip of her wand, circling overhead as they tweeted a lovely song, the dwarves watching in awe. 

"Birds? Bit tame, don't you think?" Dwalin teased as the birds disappeared in a flock of feathers, the remains falling over some of the food.

"Tame?" Rose repeated playfully. "Okay, then....let's see...Avis." Yet another flock of birds appeared and quickly Rose took one carefully in her hand, watching it twitch slightly but oblige. Tapping it three times, she spoke again, "Vera Vurto." The bird transfigured into a glass cup, to which she tossed cockily toward Dwalin, who caught it and examined it, seeming impressed. 

"It would appear the witch is pretty talented," Dori commented. "Perfect addition."

"Addition?" Rose repeated. "I'm sorry, but you all must be mistaken. I won't be going on that adventure with you all. Bilbo's the one Gandalf requested for."

"Yes, our burglar!" Balin agreed, before continuing, "but you will be our witch! Gandalf has said so."

Rose's eyes flew over to Gandalf, narrowing harshly. "Their witch? I'm sorry since when have I become someone's fairy godmother? Gandalf, this is not what we have discussed."

"Of course not, but this is what I have been planning for, which is why I was to hold my answer until everyone was present, but I suppose now you will not allow that," Gandalf shrugged, placing his pipe away and sitting straight, not taking his eyes off of Rose's. "I'm using incentive, Miss Potter, and you'll have to forgive me in doing so."

"Incentive?" Rose repeated scathingly. "You mean to tell me you'll only help me get home if I help you on your journey? No bloody way!"

"I'm sorry, but those are my only conditions. You aid us, I help you," Gandalf decreed, making Rose stand up abruptly.

"I can't believe this! So...my only way home is helping a company of dwarves...what exactly are you all doing?"

"We're leaving to reclaim our homeland from a dragon, miss," Ori helped.

"Helping....you mean to tell me you all are facing a dragon to reclaim your homeland? Are you kidding me?" Rose's voice became high pitched. "I can't. I refuse. I've faced just about enough of dragons in my day. First Norbert, then the Horntail, then that poor blind dragon in Gringotts. Gandalf, I hate to be rude, but I can't help you. Please...just help me go home."

"You've faced three dragons?" Kili asked from beside her. Rose looked down, seeing him looking at her in an entirely new way. He seemed amazed, almost admiring. "You're perfect for the company! C'mon, Miss Potter, if you've had experience with dragons, it's practically fate. You must help us. You will still get to go home in the end! Isn't that better?"

"Not if I can get home right now," Rose denied, moving from her seat to walk around the table towards Gandalf. "Look, these dwarves seem nice, and I'm sure the dwarf coming is very important, too, but I'm done with adventures. I'm done with risking my neck every five seconds and having to be terrified of monsters coming to attack me just for existing. I have family at home, I have friends. They're bound to be worried sick about me!"

"These dwarves are in dire need of aid, Miss Potter," Gandalf spoke slightly. "While, yes, we will not be able to do it without Mr. Baggins, I have seen that we could use you, too. Help us on this single journey and you shall return home. I can promise you that. I will not ask any more or any less of you. Please..."

Rose stared at him for a very long time, before she turned to look at the dwarves, all waiting with bated breath for her answer. She then turned to Bilbo who seemed to be watching her from the doorway, his expression quite concerned and assuring. However, an answer wasn't given right then, for another knock came to Bilbo's front door. Everyone turned their attention to that.

"He is here." Gandalf said.


	5. The Journey Ahead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose debates on whether to join the company on their adventure, but it seems the only way home

Rose huffed, following as all of the dwarves suddenly piled into the walkway, including Bilbo and Gandalf as the wizard seized the doorknob in his hand and pulled the still unlocked door open. Rose humored herself momentarily that Bilbo should have locked his door long ago considering how many dwarves had piled themselves in. Rose moved toward the front, glaring at Gandalf as the person who knocked finally made themselves aware, the female's eyes slightly widening as well as her cheeks reddening.

It was another dwarf, but this one was much different from the other ones. He had a rather short beard in comparison to the other dwarves, but it was still longer than Kili's. His hair was long and rugged, black in color with grey streaks here in their while his eyes were as blue as sapphires. He wore furs and armor, his expression quite taunting. 

"Gandalf," he addressed. His voice was deep and sultry. Rose frowned, her eyes narrowing. "Thought you said this place would be easy to find. I've lost my way, twice." He walked inside, dumping his furred coat in Kili's awaiting arms. "Wouldn't have found it at all had it not been for that mark on the door." Gandalf hummed as he shut the door behind him.

"Mark?" Bilbo repeated scathingly. "There's no mark on that door! It was painted a week ago!" 

"There is a mark; I put it there myself!" Gandalf announced, smiling giddily. He seemed excited for this interaction to happen. "Bilbo Baggins, allow me to introduce you to the leader of our company, Thorin Oakenshield." Thorin turned to look at Bilbo, the hobbit unfortunately standing right where he could see him, the dwarves and Rose all hanging back, leaving the two to look over each other. Poor Bilbo seemed very intimidated, backing away from the massive dwarf.

"So!" Thorin began thoughtfully. "This is the Hobbit. Tell me, Mr. Baggins, have you done much fighting?" Slowly, he began to circle Bilbo, as if he were a predator examining his prey. 

"Pardon me?" Bilbo asked.

"Axe or sword? What's your weapon of choice?" Thorin continued to ask, ignoring Bilbo's confusion.

"Well, I have some skill at Conkers, if you must know, but I fail to see why that's relevant," Bilbo defended, smirking up at the dwarf.

"Thought as much, he looks more like a grocer than a burglar," Thorin grinned back, glancing at the dwarves behind him who snickered quietly. Rose frowned deeply, quick to jump to Bilbo's defense, "And I'm to assume you're much better with a sword? I'm entirely sure with a maiden's sort of hairstyle blowing in the wind you surely gain your weight by fighting other vertically challenged children since you couldn't fight a human."

Thorin's head snapped toward her, his eyes momentarily widening to see her amongst the dwarves. Rose stood her ground, however, she was not a Gryffindor for nothing. She has faced Malfoy, Parkinson, and Zabini's verbal abuse, she was not about to let it happen to someone else, especially Bilbo.

"A female? Mr. Baggins has a wife?" Thorin asked, turning to Gandalf.

"Well, no, this is Rose Potter," Gandalf introduced, taking Rose by her shoulders so she stood front and center beside Bilbo. "She's a witch."

"A witch? I was not aware this world had a female with magical capabilities," Thorin said, observing Rose closer. Rose backed up a bit, frowning. She didn't want to be observed like Bilbo had; it was incredibly uncomfortable. "What are you able to do, then, Miss Potter? I do hope it is not limited to rabbits out of hats."

"No, actually, I'm capable of a lot of magic, but it's because I'm not a witch from around here; I'm a witch from another world. I don't know why and I don't know how, but suddenly I'm here taking refuge in a hobbit home staring at many dwarves with a wizard telling me I'm supposed to go on your journey with you in exchange for taking me home," Rose explained hastily. 

Thorin raised a bemused brow, before his gaze shifted to Gandalf.

"The girl tells the truth, Thorin, she is not from here. Her magic is extraordinary from what I understand, and I figured that would aid us greatly on the journey," Gandalf smiled. Bilbo shuffled himself to the side of Rose, giving her a reassuring smile that she returned before returning her attention to Thorin, who seemed to be very reluctant for her addition to the company.

"I still haven't agreed, Gandalf," Rose reminded quietly.

"I think, at this point, Miss Potter, you have no choice," Gandalf stated, looking over to her, his expression quite stern. "What do you have to lose?" Rose opened her mouth and then closed it, thinking it over real hard. What did she have to lose? After all, she was stranded here and it wasn't as if she was defenseless. She had her bag that she had packed with all necessities, and she had her wand, so perhaps aiding them wouldn't be too hard.

"Miss Potter's faced three dragons in her world!" Kili blurted out. 

"Three dragons?" Thorin repeated silkily, before turning back to the girl. "Is this true?"

"Sort of. Well, the first dragon I faced was merely a baby, a Norwegian Ridgeback, and the only contact I had with it was sneaking it to the top of a tower unnoticed so my friend's brother could take it off where it'd be safe away from anyone. The second was a Hungarian Horntail which was a task I had to face in a Triwizard Tournament where my name was put in none too my knowledge. I had to steal its egg." She noticed their looks. "Long story. And the third, well, I'm not quite sure what it was, but it was an abused one, and it was blind. I suppose the goblins had situated it at the bottom of Gringotts bank to keep any thieves out, but when me and my friends tried to escape, we ended up jumping on its back and riding it out of there."

"So...you were a criminal?" Gloin grunted from the back.

"What? No! Look, it's all a very long, long story that I'd rather not get into." Rose pressed, holding her hands up. She met Gandalf's eyes again, determined, straightening her back as she said firmly, "Can you promise me my way home?" 

Gandalf met her eyes, staying silent for just a moment before he finally said, "Yes, I promise." 

Rose looked toward Thorin, who still seemed to be staring disapprovingly down at her. Grinning, similar to the ways she would send snide smirks toward Draco Malfoy when she surpassed him in class, she held her hand out, "You've got yourself a witch, King. I'm officially at your service." Thorin looked down at her hand, before he reluctantly took it into his own, his much bigger hand encasing hers entirely. Nevertheless, he shook it. 

"Hope to see you prove your worth with your abilities rather than running your mouth," he stated, before turning toward his dwarves. "Can any of you lead me to the dining area?" Kili volunteered, eagerly leading Thorin away while the dwarves followed. However, Bilbo stayed, looking at Rose worriedly.

"What if you were to die on this journey, Miss Potter? It would've all been for nothing," he said softly, making sure none of the dwarves could hear. Gandalf already walked away to sit with the dwarves, leaving the hobbit and the witch to stand alone in the hallway.

Rose shook her head slowly, meeting his eyes. "It's a chance, Bilbo. It's better than not doing anything at all. At least this way I can say I tried, I tried to get back home." Patting his shoulder, she moved to the dining room where all the dwarves were already sitting, Thorin at the head with a bowl of porridge in front of him, prepared by Bombur. She sat on Gandalf's other side, scooting her chair forward and meeting Thorin's eyes as his addressed hers, quite unreadable, but very heavy. His gaze felt very much like he was brooding, but Rose somewhat enjoyed the blue of their color.

"What news from the meeting in Ered Luin? Did they all come?" Balin suddenly asked, breaking the chilling silence.

"Aye, envoys from all seven kingdoms," Thorin nodded, finally averting his eyes from Rose's green ones. The dwarves murmured their joy. Obviously this meant good news. Rose tried to listen in as much as she could. If she were to properly participate in such an adventure that required any form of knowledge of dwarves, this was necessary.

"And what do the dwarves of the Iron Hills say?" Dwalin suddenly asked. "Is Dain with us?"

Thorin's hand suddenly clenched around his silverware and his face turned rather grim. "They will not come."

The dwarves began to speak quietly, now much more sad. Rose didn't know, at all, what any of that meant. What the bloody hell was the Iron Hills? Shaking her head, she listened as Thorin continued, "They say this quest is ours and ours alone."

"Bilbo, my dear fellow," Gandalf suddenly called to the Hobbit, who was wandering awkwardly in the doorway with his hands fiddling together nervously, "let us have a little more light."

"Oh, don't worry about it, Bilbo," Rose brushed a hand into her pocket and took out her wand, hissing a quiet, "Lumos!" Instantly, the tip of her wand elicited a bright white light, much like a flashlight. Some of the dwarves muttered excitedly as Rose held out the wand for Thorin to hold, seeing as Gandalf seemed to want to show something to him, but Thorin did not take it, eyeing the wand suspiciously as if it were cursing at him.

"I feel it best if only you wound such an object, Miss Potter," he stated silkily before turning to Gandalf, "Go on."

Gandalf nodded, reaching into his cloak and protruding some old parchment that looked tattered and beaten. Rose almost thought it was the Marauder's Map before Gandalf unraveled it and instead of seeing the usual front page of the Map that would ask her to recite, 'I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up To No Good', it was a map of Middle Earth. Rose raised her wand higher so she could see closer, now far more interested than before. 

"Far to the East," spoke Gandalf, "over ranges and over rivers, beyond woodlands and wastelands, lies a single solitary peak."

"The Lonely Mountain," Bilbo mumbled, startling Rose for a moment. She hadn't realized he was now reading the map over Thorin's shoulder.

"Aye," grunted a dwarf a few seats across from Rose. He was a red haired one. Gloin, she thought his name was? "Oin has read the portents, and the portents say it is time."

Oin nodded from beside him. Rose knew him since he was the only dwarf who carried around a small horn for better ears. "Ravens have been seen flying back to the mountain as it was foretold: When the birds of yore return to Erebor, the reign of the beast will end!"

"And...that's the dragon," Bilbo mumbled shakily.

"Indeed! Smaug the Terrible!" barked Bofur, who seemed to be smoking at a pipe, "Chiefest and greatest calamity of our age! Airborne fire-breather, teeth like razors, claws like meat hooks, extremely fond of precious metals-"

"Yes, I'm aware of what a dragon is," Bilbo now snapped, gripping the back of Thorin's chair, looking positively sick. 

"Well, I'm not afraid!" cried Ori, the youngest of the dwarves as he jumped confidently to his feet, "I'm up for it! I'll give him a taste of the Dwarfish iron right up his jacksie!" The dwarves all roared their encouragement while Dori, Ori's eldest brother, pulled him down, hissing quietly about regal profiles. 

"The task would be difficult enough with an army behind us, but we number just thirteen - well, fourteen now, and not fourteen of the best, nor the brightest." Balin said wisely. Rose wasn't necessarily offended that he deemed her as such. Truthfully, she wasn't the best or the brightest. Whenever she needed help, she went to Hermione. If Hermione were here, Rose was sure she would be able to rid the dragon of Erebor with just a snap of her hand. Rose missed her dearly. 

However, the other dwarves took it much more personally, roaring their anger towards Balin.

"What did he say?" Oin asked curiously.

"We may be few in number," Fili interrupted the newfound tension, placing his right hand flat across the table as he looked around at everyone, "but we're fighters, all of us, to the last dwarf!"

"And you forget, we now have two wizards in our company! Miss Potter has faced three dragons in her homeland and I'm sure Gandalf has killed hundreds of dragons in his time!" Kili praised, making Rose blush and Gandalf suddenly sputtered, "Oh, well, now, uh, I-I-I wouldn't say that, I-"

"How many, then?" Dori asked.

"Uh, what?"

"Well, how many dragons have you killed? Come to think of it, did any of the dragons you faced were killed by your hands, Miss Potter?" Dori demanded.

Rose froze, eyes slightly widening. "Well, n-no, but..."

The dwarves all suddenly began to argue, banging their fists on the table. One side argued about how many dragons Gandalf killed while the other began to decide whether Rose was a true dragon warrior if she hadn't killed any. Gandalf began to puff at a pipe he pulled from his cloak nervously while Rose diminished her wand's light and slowly shrunk beneath her shoulders.

"SHAZARA!" Thorin suddenly boomed, quickly silencing everyone, even making Rose flinch. "If we have read these signs, do you not think others will have read them, too? Rumors have begun to spread. The dragon Smaug has not been seen for 60 years. Eyes look east to the Mountain, assessing, wondering, weighing the risk. Perhaps the vast wealth of our people now lies unprotected. Do we sit back while others claim what is rightfully ours? Or do we seize the chance to take back Erebor! Du Bekar! Du Bekar!" The dwarves chanted along with him, now much more excited than before, determined to reclaim Erebor.

"You forget," Balin piped, "the front gate is sealed. There is no way into the mountain!"

"That, my dear Balin, is not entirely true!" Gandalf smiled, finally regaining his composure as his hand, once again disappeared in his cloak and drew back out with a rusty looking key. It didn't mean anything to Rose, but it clearly meant something to the dwarves. Even Bilbo was staring at it in amazement.

"How came you by this?" Thorin asked, breathless.

"It was given to me by your father, by Thrain, for safekeeping, it is yours now," Gandalf smiled, handing it to Thorin. All the dwarves still looked at the key as well as Thorin in utter admiration.

"If there's a key, there must be a door!" Fili exclaimed.

Gandalf smiled wisely and pointed back to the map. "These runes speak of a hidden passage to the lower halls."

"There's another way in," Kili added, smiling giddily.

"Well, if we can find it, but dwarf doors are invisible when closed. The answer lies hidden somewhere in this map and I do not have the skill to find it. But there are others in Middle-Earth who can. The task I have in mind will require a great deal of stealth, and no small amount of courage. But, if we are careful and clever, I believe that it can be done."

"That's why we need a burglar!" Ori hissed.

"Hm, a good one, too, an expert I'd imagine," Bilbo chuckled, seeming to forget the fact that he was called a burglar a while ago by one of the dwarves. Rose was about to say as such, but Gloin interrupted her, "And are you?"

"Am I what?" Bilbo questioned innocently. 

"He says he's an expert! Hey, hey!" Oin cheered, pumping a fist into the air, while some of the dwarves laughed. Poor Oin could not hear completely.

"M-Me? No, no, no, no, no! I'm not a burglar. I've never stolen a thing in my life!" Bilbo protested meekly.

"I'm afraid I have to agree with Mr. Baggins. He's hardly any burglar material," Balin stated.

Bilbo nodded in agreement, encouraging the degrading comments. Rose frowned.

"Aye, the wild is no place for gentlefolk who can neither fight nor fend for themselves." Dwalin added.

"Now hold on a moment!" Rose interrupted. "Back where I come from, we had a battle of our own! A big one! I had a friend, Luna Lovegood, sweetest girl you could ever meet. She ran around forests barefoot looking for mystical creatures! She wouldn't hurt a fly and yet she fought valiantly in the war and triumphed with the rest of the good side! Bilbo could very well much handle himself out there!"

"Miss Potter, please don't-"

"You fought in battle?" Kili asked.

"Yes, but that doesn't matter. I won't allow you all to insult Bilbo when he could perfectly look after himself without any of the help of you, or Gandalf, or even myself!" Rose declared.

"Was your friend a hobbit?" Dwalin grunted. 

"Well, no, but-"

"Then you should understand hobbits are gentlefolk by culture! We are merely stating facts, not insults!" he shot back, which seemed to spark yet another argument, this time with Rose included. She gripped her wand at her side as she stood straight, glaring down at Dwalin who sat as she continued to defend Bilbo, other dwarves merely arguing with each other. Sparks ignited from her wand due to her outburst and before she could try to mend the scare it gave to the dwarf beside her, Gandalf suddenly stood straight, almost like he was blocking out the sun as he said, "Enough! If I say Bilbo Baggins is a burglar, then a burglar he is!"

Everyone, including Rose went quiet.

"Hobbits are remarkably light on their feet. In fact, they can pass unseen by most if they choose. And while the dragon is accustomed to the smell of dwarf, the scent of Hobbit is all but unknown to him, which gives us a distinct advantage. You asked me to find the fourteenth member of this company." He seemed to be speaking specifically to Thorin now. "And I have chosen Mr. Baggins. There's a lot more to him than appearances suggest, and he's got a great deal more to offer than any of you know, including himself. You must trust me on this."

Thorin glared up at him, before he grimly nodded. "Very well, we will do it your way."

"No, no, no," Bilbo began to plead.

"Give him the contract."

"Please," Bilbo begged just as Balin took out another sheet of paper, pushing it toward the Hobbit, saying, "It's just the usual summary of out-of-pocket expenses, time required, remuneration, funeral arrangements, so forth."

"Funeral arrangements?" Bilbo squeaked, taking the contract finally and beginning to read it while pacing. 

"I cannot guarantee his safety," Thorin whispered. Gandalf nodded. "Nor will I be responsible for his fate."

"Agreed," Gandalf nodded before turning to Rose, "And you? You are fully for joining us?"

Rose nodded, smiling. "Anything to get me home."

"Incineration?" 

Everyone suddenly turned back to Bilbo.

"Aye," Bofur nodded. "Melt the flesh off your bones in a jiffy! Open his mouth and poof! You're gone!" 

"Bofur!" Rose hissed, getting to her feet and slowly approaching Bilbo. "Are you okay?"

Bilbo looked back at the contract and then back at her. 

"No."

Then he fainted.


	6. The Last Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bilbo makes his decision and Thorin seems to be paying particular attention to the new addition to his company

Rose hissed her surprise, slightly dancing on the spot as she got her wand and hissed quickly, "Windgardium Leviosa!" Instantly, Bilbo's body lulled in the air, his arms falling past his sides as she gently floated him into the living area where she carefully dropped him slumped over his armchair. Most of the dwarves followed, including Thorin, either curious to see her magic or in wonder of Bilbo's state. Gandalf slowly followed after them, having to duck low in able to get inside the room without knocking his head on the low hanging arch way.

"Is he going to be okay?" Rose asked worriedly, leaning forward to see if Bilbo was still alive. That was foolish. He obviously just fainted.

"He will be fine, and I don't just mean when he stirs, I mean when he finally realizes his place is in this journey," Gandalf stated stubbornly. 

"Or maybe he just doesn't want to attend? He has to face a dragon, but he fainted at just the mere thought of it!" Rose said, looking up at Gandalf. While she knew she had initially agreed to such a quest, she didn't want Bilbo to be forced into anything he didn't want to be in. Gandalf, however, shook his head as if he had made up his mind.

"Miss Potter may have a point," Thorin suggested. "Bilbo is something less of what I imagined my burglar to be. If she has faced three dragons, why not place the position on her?"

"Miss Potter, were you not the one defending Master Baggins earlier tonight when the dwarves began verbally assaulting him?" Gandalf asked, rounding on the girl, who put her hands up in defense before voicing her reasons, "Well, yes, but that was because they were, indeed, verbally assaulting him! I didn't mean he actually, well, had to come! That was just defending him!"

"Miss Potter is no burglar to you as I am a hobbit," Gandalf declared grimly. "Let me make it quite clear, the only one you can assure will make it inside that mountain unseen is Bilbo. Miss Potter's duties will see to other things. For example...Miss Potter, would you perhaps empty your bag?" Rose's hands suddenly flew to her side, her green eyes widening as she felt the familiar material of the leather bag she had taken from the Burrow. How could she have forgotten that she had this on without realizing?

Looking up at Gandalf and seeing his nod, Rose held open her bag and watched as her clothes, the spell books, Marauders' Map, her family photo album, and her Firebolt. All of the dwarves jumped back, obviously surprised to see that such a small messenger's bag could hold such contents. Rose couldn't believe she had forgotten all about this. She had all necessities to attend such an adventure...

"A pile of junk?" Thorin asked, unamused.

"Actually," Rose grinned, bending forward and retrieving the more important items, she brought them up and began to describe them, "Spell books, obviously, so if I need to aid us with something specific, I have the books to tell me exactly what spell. The Marauders Map, which...tells me what's going on at Hogwarts, so that's useless here. Um...a photo album with my family and friends inside. Oh! But this is important!" She brought her Firebolt up for them to see.

"That's a wee broomstick," Oin grunted, holding his ear trumpet up.

"No, it's not just that. Where I come from, wizards and witches ride these either as transportation or for sport. I'm actually really fair on a broomstick." Rose made an attempt to cleverly spin the broom in her hands, but she missed on catching it and watched as it fell unceremoniously to the ground. "Okay, well, I may be a little rusty, but trust me once I get going I'm great. I was the Gryffindor seeker for six years."

Instead of receiving proud or amazed gazes, everyone seemed very confused.

"The hell is a Gryffindor?" Dwalin barked just as Bilbo finally made a sound that caught all of their attention. Rose quickly shuffled everything back inside her bag before rushing over to help Bilbo sit straight. Gandalf had perked up, standing straighter with his hand clutching his staff. Bilbo's eyes fluttered open and he looked very, very confused.

"Wha-? Where am I?" he asked groggily.

"In your armchair," Rose aided. "I put you here after you fainted. Are you okay? How do you feel?"

"Got a nasty headache, but otherwise I'm fine," Bilbo answered honestly.

"Good, then I'll see to it that everyone leaves this room except for myself and you. I must discuss important matters with you, Bilbo Baggins," Gandalf said, giving the dwarves and Rose an insistent nod. They all quickly caught the hint and walked out of the living area, Rose fixing her messenger back onto her shoulders. 

Out of her earshot stood Thorin and Balin, who had stopped a few ways away from the living area so they could eavesdrop on what Gandalf was telling Bilbo. However, both of their attentions seemed to be taken completely to Rose as she was suddenly bombarded by Fili, Kili, and Ori, all of which seemed interested to know more about her and her qualities. Balin smiled thoughtfully while Thorin looked on very disapprovingly. 

"She seems true in her person," Balin sighed, finally taking his field of vision and having it land on Thorin instead, whose eyes had yet to leave the sole female. "A girl with most mysterious abilities with a heart of gold; some would say that's a once in a lifetime. You seem to feel otherwise, however."

"I cannot trust her if she is, indeed, not from this world. What allegiance does she carry? She is loyal to nobody but her own," Thorin stated. "But when Gandalf mentions my quest, she is eager to attend. Forgive me for my forever paranoid qualities, but how can anyone else not find that suspicious?"

"I would figure because Gandalf made a promise to get her home in exchange if she does help you," Balin said. "And besides, it's not as if she's dead weight. She bares magic in her veins. Kili is right, we now have two wizards in our company and I can't turn my head from the potential they both have. And neither can you."

"Suddenly you care of my interests?"

"If it affects the company, yes."

"Then I shall leave her to nothing but my honest judgement. She will need to prove herself to me before I grant her my kindness and trust. Do not expect anything more of me," Thorin demanded, standing straight and watching rather irritatingly as Bilbo suddenly stood up from his armchair, bid Gandalf goodnight, and shuffled off to his bedroom. However, he did pause to wish Rose a goodnight and an embrace. Thorin squinted.

"Well...I am here once you come to your senses. The girl cannot be our main attention span. It would appear no burglar can affect us much more." Shaking his head, Balin turned and approached his younger brother, who had been watching Bilbo's disappearance as well, putting a comforting hand on his large arm. Thorin's gaze returned to Rose's form and he felt his frown go even deeper. There was just something about her that bothered him. Was it the fact that he truly didn't know her, or was it simply because he didn't find her all too appealing? Thorin wasn't willing to elaborate.

The night had cooled down with all of the dwarves making their way back into the living area that was darkening since the candles were burning out. Rose had taken initiative by pointing her wand into the fireplace and hissing a quiet, "Incendio." Quickly, a fire began and illuminated all of the grave faces that now stared into the flames.

Smoke began to be the main thing she breathed as she took Bilbo's spot in his armchair. Everyone seemed to be smoking from their pipes, Gandalf at the center with his expression rather disappointed. Rose assumed he was really set on having Bilbo be the company's burglar. And, for a moment, she pitied him.

A low hum started amongst the dwarves which brought up to a sad melody. It took Rose a moment to realize they were beginning a song, Thorin moving his way toward the mantel and leaning on it, opening his mouth and beginning to sing softly, making Rose slightly flush for whatever reason, not able to take her eyes off him as he gently sang each of the lyrics.

"Far over, the Misty Mountains cold,  
To dungeons deep and caverns old,  
We must away, ere break of day,  
To seek our pale enchanted gold.

The dwarves of yore made mighty spells,  
While hammers fell like ringing bells,  
In places deep, where dark things sleep,  
In hollow halls beneath the fells.

For ancient king and elvish lord  
There many a gleaming golden hoard  
They shaped and wrought, and light they caught,  
To hide in gems on hilt of sword.

On silver necklaces they strung  
The flowering stars, on crowns they hung  
The dragon-fire, on twisted wire  
They meshed the light of the moon and sun.

Far over the Misty Mountains cold,  
To dungeons deep and caverns old,  
We must away, ere break of day,  
To claim our long-forgotten gold.

Goblets they carved there for themselves,  
And harps of gold, where no man delves  
There lay they long, and many a song  
Was sung unheard by men or elves."

Rose was slowly lulled to a gently sleep, curled up inside the armchair with the flames undying, each of the dwarves finding their own spots on the floor to sleep, all anxious for the morning to come when they would officially leave the Shire and onto the journey ahead. Rose thought nothing of it, however, too distracted by her own dreams to remember she now had a place in a company of dwarves and a single wizard, all in an attempt to get the wizard to grant her the place of home.

She didn't see nor notice Thorin standing above her, his expression quite vacant as she slept soundly, her snores almost able to ring high above Dwalin's or Bombur's, which were quite echoing on impact. However, Thorin didn't seem put off by that. He seemed too distracted by her rosy cheeks, and by her raven hair, which was falling off to the side due to how she was laying.

Thorin's eyes suddenly narrowed and he leaned forward, staring at something on Rose's face.

"Uncle, come to bed," Kili called, making Thorin flinch and nearly topple over onto Rose's form. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Fili and Kili huddled together, both tired but waiting for Thorin to join them. Thorin glanced back at the female before sighing and moving off.

He was sure on her forehead was a lightning bolt scar.


	7. Riding High, Soaring Low

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose and the dwarves shortly leave, but not for long on their own

Her dreams consisted of flashes, images of all kinds derived from her memories. The Burrow, Grimmauld Place, Gringotts, Ollivander's, Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, and much more until she finally got the image of the cave she had wound up in, jerking away just before she could approach the black lagoon once more, panting slightly as her eyes opened and stared off to the side to a beautifully decorated wall of portraits and plants. It took her a moment to realize where she was, still stuck in Bilbo Baggins' home amongst dwarves, and she was about to embark on yet another journey since her life seemed to be full of them for whatever reason.

Some of the dwarves were stirring awake much like she had, while the others still snored loudly in their own dreams or nightmares. Amongst the dwarves awakened, was Thorin, who seemed to be giving Rose quite a harsh stare. She shivered slightly as she stretched and carefully got to her feet, trying to avoid stepping on any of the dwarves who had fallen asleep near the armchair she had taken refuge on. Clearing her throat, the witch made her way into the dining room where the relatively lively dwarves sat, fixing the house as well as a small breakfast before their descent. 

"Good morning, Miss Potter," Bofur whispered, standing at the counter before he held out a nice looking mug. "Would you care for some tea or coffee?" Rose thanked him quietly, accepting the coffee so as to wake herself up far more. Cradling the cup, she went to take a seat beside Bifur, who was whittling something intricate, and Dwalin, who seemed to be sharpening his axe. 

"The witch accepts non-magic essentials? I'd have guessed you'd prefer potions of some sort," he commented, not looking up at her.

"Potions, where I come from, or all meant for different things, but not for just consumption," she replied smugly, grinning at him as she took a sip of the bitter drink. "We use it for healing or giving someone good luck. We call it Felix Felices, better known as being 'liquid luck'." She continued to drink in silence, Dwalin only giving a tut for a response. As time went on, more and more dwarves began entering the dining room all rubbing their eyes or making sure they had all they needed. Thorin had walked in to pull Balin aside to speak with him quietly, all the while sending Rose furtive glances that felt heavy, but she paid it no mind.

"Morning, dwarves, and Rose Potter," a whispery voice greeted. All turned to see Gandalf enter the room, bending low to fit. He had decided to sleep in one of Bilbo's guest rooms. Rose felt a rush of guilt. She did wish the hobbit was awake so she could bid him goodbye. She understood he wouldn't be attending the journey, so the only friend she's managed to make in this world wouldn't even see her off. But she couldn't blame him. She loved it in Bag End; it was comfortable, but she had her own home to get back to.

"We are ready to take our leave," Thorin said curtly, not bothering to speak quietly. "Kili, go ahead and make sure all the ponies are ready and accounted for. The rest of you, make sure Mr. Baggins' home is spotless. Even if he didn't grant his presence for this adventure, I do not want our impression to be left as burdens." The dwarves all rushed to oblige, Rose getting to her feet to help. She decided doing the rest of the dishes that the dwarves hadn't got to would help matters, and so she got to work, humming to herself and ignoring the pitter-patter of dwarven feet moving in and out of earshot as they straightened furniture, placed knick-knacks back in their rightful places, and even straightened some of the portraits they had knocked loose with their dancing and hollering through the night. 

When she finished, she moved her wand to hiss a drying spell before pushing it high into her sleeve. She didn't want to use too much magic unless a situation called for it. After all, most of the dwarves were still iffy about the witch; she didn't want to give them a reason to not allow her to accompany them. Making sure everything was in her bag(clothes, the spell books, the Marauders Map, her Firebolt, Invisibility Cloak, and photo album), her hand paused on the Invisibility Cloak. She had been so eager of showing the dwarves her Firebolt last night she completely forgot she had the silky material. Perhaps it should be left as a secret, anyway; she saw Nori pocket a few of Bilbo's things. She didn't want her precious cloak in the mix.

"Are you ready, Miss Potter?" a deep voice made her jump, instantly whipping her hand from her bag as she looked up to see who startled her. She flinched slightly to see it was Thorin himself. "I assume you have all your things in order?"

"Oh, yes...every little thing!" Rose smiled innocently, patting her bag. "Are you sure we shouldn't wake Bilbo and tell him goodbye? He did host your dinner and all." 

"Mr. Baggins is asleep. I am sure he understands, after all his things are returned to normal, that we bid him good luck in his otherwise simple life. I do not feel the need to disturb his sleep. Besides, we need to be out the door in just a few moments; we haven't the time to do salutations and such," he stated firmly, making her frown and nod. Perhaps he was right. Bilbo had already seemed so stressed last night with all the dwarves running amuck in his home. It'd be best to just let him sleep.

The dwarves slowly finished up and gathered at the front door, muttering quietly as they waited for Gandalf and Thorin to join them. Rose felt very out of place. seeing as she was excluded from the conversations, but she understood it wasn't to be directly mean. The dwarves simply didn't have any idea of how to speak with her. Soon, the wizard and the leader joined the company and they all gave Bag End one more look before descending down into Bilbo's front lawn and traipsing down a certain path where Rose assumed the ponies were. 

Rose couldn't help but look over her shoulder many times as they took off, feeling terrible she left without even wishing Bilbo goodbye. Perhaps he knew; after all, he did hug her the night before just to say goodnight. He more or less knew they wouldn't be there come morning time.

"Chin up, Miss Potter!" Fili chirped, taking her out of her thoughts to look his way. "You're going to have a lot of fun soon enough once we get on the road! I wouldn't say no to seeing a few more spells either." 

Rose couldn't help her smile. "How could you be excited about magic when you're literally going on an expedition to save your fallen kingdom?" Fili shook his head with a laugh as they walked on, walking out of Hobbiton and toward a line of trees that seemed abandoned since they were untouched by civilizations. Kili was all the way over, waving toward the dwarves as he stood in front of a group of ponies, all either chewing at the grass or tossing their heads back. Rose was sure if she were her original size, they'd be much smaller than her, but she could only think since the dwarves and herself were so short, normal horses would be out of the question.

"Did Mr. Baggins wake up?" Kili ask as Fili and Rose walked up. 

"No, we were quiet, so we didn't wake him," Fili answered, taking up one of the bigger ponies and saddling himself onto it. He looked to Rose as she looked around all of the ponies with a concerned expression. She had never taken to riding actual animals since she had rode Buckbeak all those times as well as the time she and her friends took Thestrals to the Ministry of Magic. Not to mention the other time when she had to ride a full grown dragon. She wondered if ponies were as ferocious as them. 

"What's the matter?" Kili asked, showing up on his own pony, which was slightly smaller than Fili's.

"Oh, nothing, I just...I've never ridden a pony before. Hippogriff? Thestral? Dragon? Yes, but never a pony," Rose stated.

"Are you telling me you're afraid? You literally just said you've ridden a bloody dragon!" Fili exclaimed rather flabbergasted. Taking one of the reigns to the smallest pony of all, he guided it to her. "This is Myrtle. Just climb on and make sure you guide her. She's not the most bright." Rose nodded, frowning slightly as she moved to climb onto her, thankful the pony didn't move and accidentally dislodge the witch from its back. Finally, she was sitting astride it, smiling proudly as she held on tightly to the reigns and moved it to follow the dwarves who now took off, figuring she'd catch up in a few moments.

"Nicely done," Fili complimented as she got Myrtle to trot faster and catch up sooner. "For a moment there I thought you too cowardly."

"Please," Rose snorted. "I'm just really out of touch with my more...daring side. You won't believe how long it's been since...well...I've actually done anything like this." She forgot they were still ignorant to her past as well as the scar on her forehead. Just to be sure, she brushed her hair to the side to cover more of her forehead where the faded thing actually was. She was surprised none of them, even Bilbo, had mentioned it. 

Thorin took the lead, seeing as he had the map, and Gandalf had taken the place beside him to talk quietly about the journey and what they might see ahead. Balin trailed shortly behind them, quietly listening, and more dwarves after that until they got to the very back where Fili, Kili, and Rose were riding and chatting, Rose mostly answering questions of what came from her world that the brothers had. Truly, she wanted to know more about Middle-Earth, but they felt otherwise.

"Okay, Gryffindor is for the brave and daring, Ravenclaw for the witty and clever...what about the other two that you mentioned?" Fili asked.

"Well, there's Hufflepuff for the honest and kind, then there's Slytherin for the sly and cunning. We're all separated into a house during our first year, and I got Gryffindor, as did Ron and Hermione, my friends that I mentioned before," Rose said, yelping as Myrtle accidentally jerked after stumbling over a rock. 

"What sort of subjects were there?" Kili asked.

"You have...Transfigurations, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Charms, Herbology, Care for Magical Creatures, Muggle Studies, History of Magic," Rose listed the ones off the top of her head, smiling at the memories she had of attending every class, the good and the bad. "You also have Divination, which honestly was a waste of time."

"Why is that?" Kili asked.

"Well, the professor was a psychic, but she rarely ever had true readings. Plus, every year I attended she always told me I had the Grim, which I suppose is a sign that I'm going to be killed and yet here I am. It all got very tiring." Kili and Fili snickered quietly and so they asked more questions and Rose tried her best to answer them, still cleverly leaving out that she had been the Girl Who Lived and there were such a wizard by the name of Voldemort back then.

Time went on and she was sure they were miles from Hobbiton when, suddenly, something made them all stop.

"WAIT! WAIT!"

Rose recognized the voice and instantly stopped Myrtle, whipping around with a hopeful smile. 

"I'VE SIGNED IT! I'VE SIGNED THE CONTRACT!"

From across the way, she saw Bilbo sprinting up to meet them, a heavy pack across his back while he brandished the tattered contract that Balin had given him. Rose smiled and got off her pony as he caught up.

"Bilbo! You came!" she exclaimed happily.

"Y...yes. I've d-decided to...to come," he heaved, moving to where Balin still sat on his steed and handed over the contract. 

"Oh, I'm so happy for you!" Rose grinned excitedly. "This is fantastic news!"

Balin took the contract and opened it, smiling knowingly down at Bilbo as he looked over it. "Huh...that seems to be in order! Welcome, Bilbo Baggins, to the company of Thorin Oakenshield." Bilbo smiled, standing straight once his breath was caught. 

"Give him a pony," Thorin said suddenly.

"Wait, w-wait, I don't think..."

"There are no ponies left, Thorin. We had just enough for all of us before Miss Potter joined," Bofur called.

"Oh, nonsense! Bilbo can have my pony!" Rose grinned.

"What? N-No! I simply cannot! I am perfectly fine with walking," Bilbo protested gently. "A-After all, what would you ride, Rose?"

"I've got the Firebolt with me. I just need to keep it slow and steady. It's not built for....slow, but I'm sure I'll manage." Rose smiled.

"Even still, that is not necessary! I'm very fine and well off with walking! Trust me, I've went as far as Bree once on just my own two-OOF!"

Fili and Kili seized Bilbo by his scruff and placed him on Myrtle, both fighting off big grins. Rose smiled, reaching into her pack to feel the familiar touch of wood that came with the Firebolt. Smirking, she pulled it out and mounted it, biting her lip. She was still rusty on the broom, and this specific brand was known for its speed and height. Would it even be able to cruise as fast as the ponies? She sure hoped so. 

"Are you sure you're okay with the broom? I'm sure I have more than enough room," Bilbo said, clutching tightly to the reigns as Myrtle moved. It appeared he was more out of touch with riding animals than she was. She brushed him off with a smile, "Nonsense, Bilbo, you deserve to have the pony to yourself." The hobbit smiled and nodded, watching her intently.

Taking a deep breath, she gently kicked up off the ground, yelping as the Firebolt shot about ten feet into the air, making the dwarves all turn their heads to look up at her, but once she readjusted herself, she pointed the nose down and moved so she was level with the ponies, grinning proudly at herself.

"Yes, I think this journey shall go smoothly just as long as I keep this under control," she said aloud.


	8. A Storyteller

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kili, Fili, and Bilbo insist on hearing a bit of Rose’s past

Keeping the broom nice and steady, Rose followed the line of ponies, led by Gandalf and Thorin. She was so excited to have Bilbo now a part of the company, keeping her broom near him as they traveled. He seemed grateful for it, looking quite uncomfortable atop his pony surrounded by so many dwarves. Rose even ushered Fili and Kili toward the back so Bilbo wouldn't feel awkward speaking to just her. 

"I suppose seeing the empty home and the contract just told me...if I didn't do it, I'd regret it for the rest of my life," Bilbo finished telling his tale as to why he changed his mind so abruptly and came to find the company. Rose thought it a little sweet that he was willing to change his entire life to help this dwarves. She felt a tad selfish that she was only doing it to return home. "Did I miss anything in my absence, by any chance?"

"No, just a lot of walking," Kili grumbled, leaning forward on the neck of his pony, his face practically screaming boredom. "We won't stop for camp for a while either because Thorin wants to get as far as we can today." Fili chuckled, yanking his brother upright by his hair, making Kili yelp and swat at the blond angrily.

"It is a tad boring," Rose admitted, "but, c'mon! Think of what we're going to see! Back in...Hogwarts...I went on a few adventures with my friends, myself! Got in trouble for every one of them, too, believe it or not." She laughed lightly, keeping her head straight ahead as she began to hum, but it slowly leveled out into a confused sort of mumble since Kili, Fili, and Bilbo were now staring at her rather bemusedly. "Okay, look, I want to tell you more about my school life, but it's a little...hard to talk about everything right now."

"Oh, please, Rose!" Fili pleaded, driving his pony between Kili's and her broom. "We want to know more! It's a lot better than riding and doing nothing!"

"I have to admit," Bilbo called from her other side. "I quite agree. I wouldn't say no to a story, but if you are too uncomfortable I will not pressure you into saying." He made sort of a zipping motion over his lips for emphasis. Rose giggled fondly, watching him before turning to look at the brothers. They really wanted to know.

"I'll tell you what," she said. "I'll give you one story a day about my life in Hogwarts, but only one. It can either be long or short, but you cannot bug me if it doesn't meet your standards because I'm only promising one a day." All three bobbed their heads in silent agreement. Rose sighed, flicking a lock of her raven hair over her ear so it would stop falling over her eye, finally exposing her faded scar. Fili, who was closest, widened his eyes and pointed towards it as if to say something, but she put a hand up. "Suppose I should start this long mantra of stories from the beginning, yes? Let's start with how I found out I was a witch in the first place."

"You didn't know your whole life?" Bilbo asked curiously.

"No, and you'll find out in just a moment." Rose's smile turned into a frown. It had been a long while since she had given thought to the Dursleys of all people. They were awful to her, but as sickening as it sounded, she didn't hate them. Dudley was the main reason for that. She didn't like Dudley either, but he apologized to her and even admitted he was forever in her debt thanks to her saving him from the Dementors. But she knew thinking about all the abuse would mess with her mind completely, opening old wounds and affecting her anger.

"I didn't grow up with my parents," she said. "They had died when I was a year old, so I was transported to the Dursleys on the Hogwarts' headmaster, Albus Dumbledore's orders. Him, along with Professor McGonagall and Hagrid, moved me from my...old home to the Dursleys, who were my only living relatives. You have Vernon Dursley, Petunia Dursley, and their son, Dudley Dursley." She could picture all of their faces in her mind very vividly. Perhaps she exaggerated some of their features to make herself feel better, but that wasn't a need for the story. "They weren't particularly happy with me in the house."

"Why is that? Aren't they your family?" Kili asked. "Uncle Thorin didn't hesitate to raise us after Adad...died." 

"Well, my parents were wizards, and my aunt Petunia thought them freaks, so she and the rest of the Dursleys shunned them for it. The reason my parents had died was because...they were murdered."

"What?" Fili, Kili, and Bilbo all exclaimed simultaneously, jumping on their ponies from shocks. 

"Yes...they were murdered by the darkest wizard of the time...Lord Voldemort," Rose said, her eyes slightly glazing over. She gripped her broomstick a bit tighter. "Anyway, Dumbledore decided I'd be safest with the Dursleys, and obviously they rejected magic of any kind so they raised me without even knowing whatever happened to my parents. They told me they died in a car crash. Anyway, they sort of...well they...I slept in a cupboard under the stairs mostly and I got bullied a bit by Dudley and his friends."

That was a major understatement. Usually Rose would never hesitate to talk ill of other people, considering how much she did it to Draco Malfoy back in her day, but she supposed she felt a little guilty because of Dudley again. Plus Rose was a completely different person now who tried to forget her past completely and here she was talking about it.

"Those people sound so cruel," Bilbo said, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, but that is no way to treat a child!"

Rose smiled, before continuing, "Anyway, I grew up having a lot of...odd things happen to me. I'd accidentally cause things out of the ordinary to happen when I felt something really strong. Then...strange people would speak to me on the streets, like they knew my name or something. I suppose I should've suspected something then, but...why would my first guess ever be that I was a witch? The worst thing I ever accidentally did happened when the Dursleys, Dudley's friend, and I went to the zoo for Dudley's birthday. Usually they'd leave me with a woman named Ms. Figg, but she had broken her leg recently. Anyway, everything seemed to be going just fine. I was actually enjoying myself and-"

"What's a zoo?" Kili interrupted, earning glares from Fili and Bilbo for interrupting the story. 

"A zoo is a place where a lot of animals are put into separate cages and such for us to see. It's mostly exotic animals that you usually wouldn't see on the streets." Rose said, before continuing, "Anyway, we got into the snake exhibit and we wandered near a boa constrictor's cage. Mind you, those things are huge. Anyway, Dudley had grown bored of it not moving and moved on, his friend following, and Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon wandering off. I stayed." Rose's eyes narrowed. "I don't know why I did it...but...I just started talking to it. Just talking. And, all of a sudden, it raised its head and actually seemed to understand me, nodding and shaking its head when I asked certain questions. That was how I discovered I could talk to snakes."

"Woah, really?" Fili exclaimed excitedly. "That's amazing! Can all wizards do that?"

"No," Rose said darkly, gripping her broom a bit tighter. She needed to stop soon. All these memories were flashing through her head and clenched at her chest. "Dudley's friend had ran back and called for Dudley to see what the snake was doing because I guess he thought a snake raising its head was anything fun to look at. Dudley waddled over, slammed me to the ground to get a better look, and..."

"And...what?" Bilbo asked. 

"I made the glass separating us from the snake disappear," Rose said. "The snake uncoiled itself, slithered out, and spoke to me. I actually understood it. It thanked me and left. Everyone was screaming, everyone was so scared... I got stuck in the cupboard for several days out of punishment for that," Rose said. "Then...that was when the letters started coming in."

"Letters?"

"Well, for Hogwarts, they send you a letter to tell you you're accepted into the school," Rose explained. "And it came, only one at first. But Dudley took it away before I could read it and then Uncle Vernon took it from him, and...then, for the first time ever, I truly saw Uncle Vernon panic. I mean he was always scared of me embarrassing him, but he looked truly afraid to see this letter. And so he burned it away. But to distract me from it, he moved me out of the cupboard and into Dudley's second bedroom-"

"Wait, you mean to tell me your cousin had two bedrooms and you were sleeping in the cupboard?" Kili exclaimed angrily.

"Well, to put it bluntly, yes," Rose nodded. "But the letters didn't stop. They were coming in everywhere. Soon Vernon nailed wood into every crevice in the house, but they still managed to get inside. Aunt Petunia found them lodged into her milk bottles once. And in her eggs. It was all so confusing. Then Sunday came and Vernon got excited at first because there were no post on Sundays, then, possibly the weirdest thing of all happened."

"What? What?" Fili asked persistently. 

"Letters, hundreds of them began flying in through the fireplace in the living room. Hundreds, there were many flying everywhere. I couldn't get my hands on any because Vernon practically held me down while yelling at everyone to pack their things because we were leaving," Rose giggled slightly to remember how red in the face he had been. "And we took off in the car. Aunt Petunia didn't even know what to say because we didn't know where we were going. First we stopped at a hotel(a place where you stay for a few nights to sleep), but letters came there and we left again, and again, and again until we came across a man who offered up a shack out in the middle of the ocean. Imagine that! Prim and proper Dursleys living somewhere so awful.

"Anyway, everything seemed normal for a few moments. The clock at struck midnight, which meant...it was my eleventh birthday at the time," Rose said, remembering counting down the seconds while reading Dudley's stupid watch and how excited she felt to finally be eleven. "That was when a loud knocking sounded on the door, enough to shake the entire building." Rose smiled, however, remembering who was on the other side of that door. "Dudley stirred awake and Vernon and Petunia rushed downstairs with a rifle in Vernon's hands. I was probably the smartest, or the most stupid, and hid behind the fireplace. Finally the door got sent off its hinges and...Hagrid was in the doorway. 'Course, I didn't know it at the time."

"Hagrid can knock doors off hinges?" Fili asked.

"Well, Hagrid was half-giant, but I'll get to that in another story. Anyway, he strode in, greeted the Dursleys as nicely as you can when they were as awful as they were," Rose laughed, "Then he asked for me. And, again, either as smart or as stupid as I was, I revealed myself to him. He had been so kind to me, even brought a birthday cake because he somehow knew. And he sat himself down proudly." Rose paused to readjust her grip, feeling a few splinters in her hands from gripping her broom so harshly before. "And he told me right away...I was a wizard."

"Just like that?" Kili asked, breathless.

"Yes, but of course, I didn't believe him until he gave a few points and I realized he was right. Anyway, Vernon and Petunia tried to get him to leave, yelling, doing whatever they could but he refused, then let slip of the fact that they had known the entire time I lived with them about what I was and what my parents were. Hagrid was furious. I suppose as revenge to them he told me what he could. Lord Voldemort was a dark wizard who killed and murdered and hurt whoever he could to get the followers he needed and the power he craved." Rose bit into her bottom lip a little too tightly. "And so...at the time, Hagrid assumed the reason he came after my family was because they were powerful. And instead of leaving after they...died, he turned his wand to me and uttered the killing curse, but...it rebounded."

"What do you mean?" Bilbo asked. He seemed to be hanging on her every word.

"I mean, the curse didn't work. It...backfired. It broke him and he disappeared. And...that's how I got the scar," Rose admitted. "I became known as the Girl Who Lived that day, and they sort of...I suppose I became famous after that. I was known as the girl who made Voldemort disappeared, but that wasn't the point of this story. That was just...how I discovered I was a witch. There, that's the end of that story," Rose sighed, closing her eyes for a moment as she took a few seconds to calm herself down. Eventually she opened them again and all three were staring at her, their mouths slightly agape.

"I do hope that curbed your boredom, Kili," Rose tried to break the silence.

"It did," he squeaked.

"Wait, I want to know more about Lord Voldemort!" Fili said.

"And your parents!" Bilbo added. "Also, how did Dumbledore figure the best place for you would be the Dursleys?"

"Ah, ah, ah," Rose stopped them, smiling. "One story a day. Now, let's relax until it's time to set up for camp and you three could tell me a few stories about your childhoods." The brothers and Bilbo agreed a little too reluctantly, though Rose didn't miss their many glances to her forehead. Maybe telling them about her little secret wasn't such a good idea after all. She already had people constantly look at her back on earth, she didn't want the same happening here.

It was a good two hours before Thorin slowed his pony to a stop and called to everyone, "We will make camp up there!" He pointed to a separate trail that ended up on a rocky landing that was thankfully abandoned as Rose saw when she rode up. Getting off from her broom, she shoved it into her bag before going to help Kili and Fili gather all the ponies together to make sure they wouldn't wander off. Thorin was barely getting off of his pony as she approached. 

"Hey, I'll take him off your hands, Thorin," she stated as nicely as she could, grabbing at the reigns. 

He looked at her as she began to lead the pony away.

"So," he began a tad more gruffy than he probably intended. "you are famous from your world?"

Rose paused, stopping in her steps and being dragged forward a few feet since the pony didn't stop in time. 

"You heard my story?" she asked, looking at him over her shoulder.

"Kind of hard not to when you weren't trying to keep your voice down," Thorin answered, fixing the furs around his shoulders.

"Oh, well, yes...I suppose. But personally, I don't accept it. I don't need fame for having a scar on my head," Rose said seriously.

"Well...I apologize on behalf of your parents. I can understand the loss," he said, meeting her green eyes with his blue ones, before he cleared his throat and turned away, approaching Dwalin instead. Rose watched him, a light smile forming on her face along with a light pink hue on her cheeks. Averting her eyes to the snow, she nodded and proceeded to take Thorin's pony to the others.

She didn't see Thorin staring at her as she did.


	9. Bonding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thorin and Rose tell tales, smiles are exchanged, and confusion is very much aware.

Rose didn't know whether or not she was regretting this backstory telling or not. After all, she had originally hoped on keeping her life a secret, but Fili, Kili, and Bilbo didn't seem at all bothered by the fact she had apparently been someone famous from her world. In fact, they were completely interested by it. She felt worried that they'd begin to judge her once the stories turned to her more darker decisions or the points where she lost so many people and constantly blamed herself. But she was starting in her first year. The worst thing to happen that year wasn't even the worst thing to ever happen to her.

Rose did feel a bit put out that Thorin had offered some sort of comfort for her parents. This entire time she had suspected that he hated her, or at least felt the need to avoid her since she technically didn't belong. She couldn't help but send him a few looks as she strapped the ponies together, making sure none could escape or trod off. He was talking to Dwalin about something important, she could tell, since Dwalin had his arms crossed and was leaning his head more toward the leader so Thorin could hiss into his ear about whatever subject they were drawn on in that moment. 

"Why are you staring at Uncle?" a voice startled her, making Rose jump a few feet into the air, whipping around to see Fili and Kili smiling curiously at her. "We're sorry if he's said something that seemed rude. He's always like that, brooding and so serious about every little thing. It could be bothersome sometimes."

"No, no, he hasn't," Rose quickly denied, her cheeks pinkening. "No, I was just...lost in thought. Suppose my gaze accidentally got stuck on him. That's all." She reluctantly turned away from the king-to-be, trying to hide the blush that now hovered over her cheeks. It was odd for her to act this way. She never really became the girl who pined after guys all the time. Growing up, she never really had the chance since she was always risking her life. 

That's not to say she didn't have her share of flings. In fourth year, she attended the Yule Ball with Cedric Diggory and just before they entered the maze for the third task, he declared to her when either of them would win, he was going to take her on a real date to Hogsmeade. After...his death, Rose struggled to find a way to feel that way again. Since Voldemort had returned and Cedric's death had been so tragic, she never saw the need. Then the Battle of Hogwarts occurred and Rose had fallen deep into her mind so badly she had to stay with the Weasleys. Now she was here, for some reason feeling a bit flustered for Thorin Oakenshield when she barely knew him.

It was annoying, really. 

"Come, Rose, sit with us!" Fili ushered her away from the ponies at last, sitting her down underneath one of the boulders that formed somewhat of a shadow over those underneath it, which now was Balin, Fili, Kili, Rose, and Bilbo. The sun, by now, had fallen and the moon risen. The dwarves had finished setting up camp, the fire made with a stew cooking over it, courtesy of Bofur and Bombur. The rest of the dwarves seemed to separate in small groups, all discussing things with each other, finally looking comfortable.

Soon they were just talking, enjoying each other's company. Food was passed around, eaten, then nearly everyone had turned in other than Balin, Fili, Kili, Rose, and Thorin. Bilbo had turned in about an hour earlier, looking very tired. Rose had her wand pointed at the fire that was in front of herself and the two brothers, silent for a moment before she said softly, "Incendio." With a burst, flames lit up the end of her wand and licked at the one below, making it slightly bigger. Fili and Kili both watched in immense interest, both not at all weary of her capabilities. Rather, they were more curious.

"Are there any spells to use on dragons?" Kili asked.

"Mm...no specifics. There are spells for battle, for defending, and for harming, but I don't think there's a spell big enough for a dragon." Rose shrugged. "You can disarm someone, flip them over, even blast them away. You have killing curses, torturing curses, controlling curses... I've only used two of those, however. Never have I purposely used the killing..." She cut herself off and stood up. "Um...sorry, I just need a moment alone." Ignoring their protests, she stood and carefully made her way to the edge of the rocky landing, making sure not to step over any sleeping dwarf.

Once she got to the edge, she carefully sat down, swinging her legs so they hung lazily. She didn't know why that topic bothered her. Perhaps because it brought flashes of her past, much like it had been doing when she was writing about everything back at the Burrow. Even in a completely new atmosphere, with a new adventure, among new friends she could yet escape her past. She still struggled to forget, or at least remember without her heart swelling terribly and her head giving her a terrible migraine. Her past was a terrible one, but she still couldn't just find an outlet.

Mentioning the Unforgiveable Curses had definitely threw her memories for a loop. After all, she had only truly used the Cruciatus curse once, when one of the Carrows had so disrespected McGonagall by spitting in her face. Rose remembered being so angry, she had screamed it. She had only attempted it once before, long before actually. She closed her eyes. Bellatrix had killed Sirius, doing so and cackling about it. Rose had cast the curse, but she did not mean it. 

She had used the Imperius Curse during her break-in with Gringotts, forcing the goblin to do her bidding in order to get into Bellatrix's vault. 

But the killing curse was something that bothered Rose terribly. She would never use it, could never use it. Even when she looked Voldemort in the face, it never crossed her mind to throw the green curse to him. But he didn't think twice to use it on Cedric, her parents, and many, many more. Rose opened her eyes again, a single tear falling down her cheek. Furiously, she wiped it away. 

"Miss Potter?"

Rose jumped, nearly unseating herself and sending her tumbling from the landing. Turning, she was surprised to see Thorin standing above her, his face unreadable. Nothing said he saw her cry, however, so there was no need for Rose to make excuses. Practically inviting himself with his presence, he moved forward and took the spot to her right, silent.

"Sorry, I was just....reminiscing sort of," Rose shrugged. "Did I disturb you?"

"Not at all," he grunted. "I was only a tad curious since you had left my nephews so abruptly to sit on your own. I'm normally not one to pry, so I'll ask what's wrong. You only choose whether to tell me or not." Rose looked up at him. His blue eyes were cast downwards into the trees and land. He seemed to be avoiding her gaze.

"Just dwelling a bit on the past is all," Rose answered. "My inner demons aren't ones for relinquishing holds. Your past ever come to bite you in the arse, then?" She gave a smirk. She could hear Ron's voice at the back of her head, telling her he always knew when she was lying. Her heart gave a pang; she missed him dearly. 

"Everyday, though by now I've learned to numb myself with it," he shrugged. "It's one particular day that truly makes itself aware, even moreso than the day my kingdom was taken and my people and I were left with nothing." His hand thumbed at the hilt of his sword absentmindedly. 

"Can I tempt you to evaluate?"

"Maybe...if you return it with a story of your own," Thorin lightly smiled. "Although I don't necessarily agree with it, I did find your story of your past a tad more interesting." 

Rose smiled. "Alright."

"Fine, then," Thorin cleared his throat. "After...after Smaug the Terrible took the Lonely Mountain, my grandfather had attempted to reclaim the ancient dwarf kingdom of Moria. Unfortunately, our enemy had gotten there first. Moria had been taken by legions of Orcs..."

"Orcs?" Rose repeated the word questionably. "I'm sorry, what are Orcs?"

"Throat cutters. Nasty beings. Anyway, these particular Orcs were led by the most vile and cruel of their race: Azog the Defiler." The name sent a shiver down Rose's spine. It was almost like it had the affect of Voldemort's name. "He had sworn to wipe out the entire line of Durin...us." Thorin's face hardened considerably. "He began...by beheading my grandfather. My father...was driven mad by grief. He disappeared. I haven't seen him since." 

Rose looked at him. She remembered he had explained to her he knew of the same loss with losing parents. She raised a hand as if to lay it comfortingly on his shoulder, but she quickly decided against it. 

"Then it was up to me," he said again. "My armor...taken. I could wield nothing but an oaken branch as a shield. Azog the orc-scum learned that day that the line of Durin would not be so easily broken... Our forces rallied...we drove the Orcs back. Our enemy was defeated. I took my place to lead my people. But...lives were still lost."

It went silent after that, leaving Rose to think about this new information while Thorin dote on his past to himself. 

"But...what of Azog? What happened to him?"

"He slunk back into the hole from once he came. That filth died of his wounds long ago," Thorin stated, his tone full of malicious hatred. 

"Ah...well," Rose cleared her throat before she completely turned toward him, giving what she hoped was a comforting smile. "I must say...I truly admire you. You've obviously led your people in the right direction. And now you're going to conquer your kingdom once more. I find that very admirable."

Thorin smiled again, much warmer than the first time. 

"You have yet to give me your story."

"Huh? Oh! Right, of course. Well...I guess I can tell you about the time my friends Fred and George left Hogwarts...in style," Rose smiled. "Well...it was during an exam and...you must know Fred and George are giant pranksters. Both of them strove to have a joke shop after they were finished with school."

"Mm...sounds something like Fili and Kili would do."

"Yes, well...at the time there was an awful, abusive professor there who was loyal to nobody but the Minister. She needn't care the pain she caused. I still have the scar, actually." Rose held out her left hand for him to see. It was extremely faded, but the words were still very much legible, 'I must not tell lies'. "Anyway, Fred and George had everything they needed in order to make their joke shop. What need did they to be there? They were aiding me at the time to speak to someone by making an entire swamp squat middle of the corridor. Once I finished what I was doing, I came out long enough to see them summon their brooms, set off several fireworks that went on for hours, before they bid the awful woman and Hogwarts goodbye just before they flew away."

"A swamp in the middle of the corridor?" Thorin asked, his tone almost sounding as if he were to give a laugh. 

"Oh, please, that's not the worst thing they've done. They set an entire firework that took the form of a dragon to chase her. They turned their brother's Ron teddy bear into a giant spider. Honestly, their entire lives were based around pranks," Rose giggled, her painful memories diminishing in turn for laughter as she finally gave a real smile. 

"Well...you were right, that is leaving in style," Thorin admitted before turning to look at the dwarves. The last fire had finally burned out, Balin, Fili, and Kili finally falling asleep. Thorin and Rose were the last ones awake. "I suppose it's time to turn in. We will leave early dawn tomorrow."

"Oh...right," Rose was slightly disappointed. She was really enjoying his company at the moment. "Well...goodnight, then." She slowly got to her feet. She looked at him as if to say something else, shook her head, before she went to find a spot to retire for sleep. Thorin watched her out of the corner of his eye, looking quite unsure of himself.

Then...he gave another true smile of his own.


End file.
